SEXUAL ASSAULT ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES By CarolAnn Peterson, PhD

SEXUAL ASSAULT ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES

By CarolAnn Peterson, PhD

Every April the world “celebrates” Denim Day.?However, many people have no idea why this event occurs.

In 1992 (Rome, Italy) an 18-year-old girl was raped by a 45-year-old driving instructor. ?On her very first lesson, he took her to an isolated road, forcibly pulled her out of the car, removed her jeans, and raped her.?After reporting the rape, the driving instructor is arrested and prosecuted. He was convicted and sentenced to jail.

However, in 1999 (Rome, Italy), the driving instructor appeals his conviction on the basis that the sex was consensual.?The case goes all the way to the Italian Supreme Court (officially known as Supreme Court of Cassation) where the conviction was overturned. The statement from the Court was that because the victim’s jeans were so tight, they could not be removed without the cooperation and therefore, the sex was consensual.

This ruling outraged the women of the Italian Parliament who protested by wearing jeans on the steps of the Supreme Court.?With the protest being covered by international media, the Executive Director of Peace Over Violence, Patti Giggans thought everyone should wear jeans in protest, countering all the myths about why women are raped.

Since this original protest and organization, Denim Day is seen as not only a rape prevention campaign but also a social statement.?In addition, GUESS Foundation has become the official sponsor of Denim Day

?But Denim Day isn’t the only issue that women should be concerned about.?Sexual assault on college campuses is prevalent.

STATISTICS (retrieved from Rape, Abuse, &Incest National Network [RAINN])

13% of all students experience rape or sexual assault through physical force, violence, or incapacitation (among all graduate and undergraduate students)

Among graduate and professional students, 9.7% of females and 2.5% of males experience rape or sexual assault through physical force, violence, or incapacitation.

?Among undergraduate students, 26.4% of females and 6.8% of males experience rape or sexual assault through physical force, violence, or incapacitation

5.8% of students have experienced stalking since entering college

?Whether college students or not, 16-24-year-olds are at the highest risk for sexual violence.

The question becomes – what services are available, whom do students turn to for help, and what are the prevention efforts?

Reported incidents give us some clues.?It is reported that 1 in 5 college-aged female survivors received assistance from a victim service agency.?Only 20% of female students report to law enforcement.?Over 80% tell a friend.

What is truly interesting is that many sexual assaults on college campuses occur at different rates depending on the time of year. More than 50% of college sexual assaults occur in either August, September, October, or November. Students are more at risk during the first few months of their first and second semesters in college

?What the Statistics Tell us about Law Enforcement’s Role

86% of sworn campus police have the legal authority to make an arrest outside of the campus grounds

86% of sworn campus police agencies have a staff member responsible for rape prevention programs

70% of campus police agencies have a memorandum of understanding (MOUs) with local law enforcement

72% of campus law enforcement agencies have a staff member responsible for survivor response and assistance

Among 4-year academic institutions with 2,500 students or more, 75% employ armed officers

Many institutions also have local law enforcement who work on their campuses

?It cannot be denied that both drinking and fraternities contribute to the increase in sexual assault.

?However, the pandemic has introduced new challenges for colleges and students.?One of those is that the colleges/universities will have two first-year classes – those who are freshman and sophomores who were isolated during the pandemic of their first…now coming to campus for the first time.?As stated by Erin Bonar, Ph.D., an associate professor at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, “Whether it’s technically their first or second year in college, they’re in a new environment and that is going to potentially affect their risk for sexual violence or sexual assault.”?Students are returning with the excitement to be back on campus and therefore, leading to over-indulgence…seeing their friends, partying, fraternity parties – which generally involve a great deal of drinking.?This can lead to an increase in sexual assaults.

?In September 2021, more than 100 students at Virginia Tech highlighted the pattern of assaults at sports events and other university gatherings.?In the same time frame, the previous month saw students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, protest over several nights after the alleged rape of a young woman at a fraternity there.

Due to the pandemic, it is possible to see sexual assaults decrease for a time.?Many students are more cautious because of COVID, many being quarantined for possible symptoms and/or exposure.

In a 2021 study, 2,566 college students in an online survey indicated that because of #MeToo, were more aware of sexual assaults.?A 2019 survey by the Association of American Universities of 182,000 students found that 13% of college and graduate students reported sexual contact by physical force or an inability to consent.?The survey found the highest rates were among 25.9% of undergraduate females and 22.8% of gay, transgender or nonbinary.

PREVENTION

Students are at the forefront of pushing more colleges/universities to develop more “check-the-box” methods other than the 30-minute online program which occurs before Fall registration.?Students also ask for more accountability from colleges/universities, along with a more community-centered and comprehensive approach to preventing sexual assault/violence.

A prevention program often touted is Bystander Intervention.?A study looking at 44 prevention programs, found bystander programs to be effective.?Students interviewed who took a bystander intervention program were more likely to intervene.?However, bystander intervention cannot assist those assaulted behind closed doors or prepare students to intervene in every sexual assault.?However, this can be a daunting task for college students.?But assistance has to start somewhere, and this is the first step.

One possible approach from psychologists is protective behavioral strategies.?This approach which seems to be effective in using or not using alcohol (such as alternating between alcohol and nonalcohol) indicates that students are less likely to drive while drunk or engage in high-risk drinking behaviors.

It is also important that colleges/universities provide resources for students who need to report.?Counseling centers on campus, along with referrals to outside agencies. ?It is also important that all reporting agencies work together – campus security and local law enforcement, campus health and off-campus rape crisis centers, campus advocates, and 24-7 hotlines.?It also means that all campus entities know how to work with all populations who may be victims of sexual assault – heterosexual women and men, LGBTQ+ victims who need to feel safe to report, and those who see themselves as non-binary.?

Without safe spaces to report, victims of sexual assault will continue to tell only their friends.?Who may be supportive but are not generally well-versed in providing all the necessary information and resources.?