Rape on Campus
One in five female students has been sexually assaulted
For most students, college is a dream, full of promise, ripe with new experiences for academic and social growth. But for too many women enrolled in undergraduate school, college ends up being a waking nightmare. One in five female students experience either attempted or completed sexual assault during their tenure, according to a study in the Journal of American College Health, making rape the most common violent crime on college campuses nationwide (6 percent of men are assaulted). Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) may be a bastion of opportunity for black women, but nearly one in seven have reported assault there, too.
Beyond campus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey found that women are four times more likely to be violated between the ages of 18 and 24 than at any other time. And while 17.7 percent of all white women experience some type of sexual assault in their lifetime, that rate is 18.8 percent for black women, and 24.4 percent for those who identify as mixed race.
But these numbers don’t tell the whole story—the U.S. Department of Justice estimates that just 27 percent of all rapes were reported last year. On college campuses, that report rate drops to a mere 5 percent.
There seems to be a perfect storm of issues that make students especially vulnerable to sexual assault during their college years. “College campuses can foster a false sense of security. Rapists look to exploit vulnerabilities that can arise in these environments, as students let their guards down in social situations. The majority of these assaults are committed by someone known to the victim,” says Katherine Hull, spokesperson for the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network.
That’s the case at least 80 percent of the time, whether they are currently in an intimate relationship or casual acquaintances. Women (and men) are less likely to report assault when it’s at the hands of someone they know for many reasons, including fear of retaliation, concern that the school won’t help them, uncertainty as to whether it was rape, worry that they won’t be believed, and feelings of guilt and shame.
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Alcohol and drug consumption are also tied to an increased risk of assault. Nine out of 10 campus cases involve alcohol, according to the Center for Problem Oriented Policing, with both offenders and victims imbibing before the attack. Drinking is associated with heightened aggression, misreading of cues, and a decreased ability to protect oneself.
The job of protecting students naturally falls to the universities where the assaults are happening. But recent high-profile cases, like one at Amherst College that resulted in suicide, have left some wondering if they are doing enough. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism’s (NIAAA) research shows that nearly half of all college students ages 18 to 24 have five or more drinks in one sitting at least once a month. Yet six years after NIAAA issued evidence-based recommendations to colleges to reduce student drinking, a follow-up study found that only 3 percent of colleges had implemented all of them (just 39 percent had executed some of them). The National Institute of Justice found that only 40 percent of schools offer sexual violence prevention programs, and less than one-third of those programs include information on reducing acquaintance rape, despite the fact that it is the most common type.
Things don’t look much better when it comes to prosecuting rapists. The Center for Public Integrity’s yearlong probe found that even when students are deemed “responsible” for a sexual assault, they don’t meet with consequences that victims and advocates consider adequate. In fact, they discovered that among approximately 130 schools included in the U.S. Justice Department’s Office on Violence Against Women’s database, only 10 percent to 25 percent of perpetrators found to be at fault are expelled. Schools say they treat the assaults as teachable moments, choosing not to deter the men from earning their education, instead opting for social probation, counseling, research assignments about sexual violence, letters of apology and short-term suspension in hopes of reforming them.
The problem with that? A 20-year study found that most men who commit rape in college aren’t guys who accidentally crossed the line in a drunken case of misunderstanding. They are often serial rapists—more than half of them are repeat offenders, responsible for, on average, 5.8 offenses. “Colleges and universities must take action on all incidents and work with local law enforcement, rather than handle cases internally,” Hull says. “Schools need to clearly convey that sexual assault is a crime that they take seriously. This will not only make survivors feel supported, but it will convey to perpetrators that this crime will not be tolerated.”
The consequences of those crimes can extend far beyond a woman’s college career. In the United States, 32,000 women are impregnated each year as a result of rape. Survivors are more likely than other women to experience depression and post traumatic stress disorder. They are 26 times more likely to use drugs, 13 times more likely to drink, and 4 times more likely to consider suicide.
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Last year, the U.S. Department of Education provided new guidance to schools in response to criticism, making it clear that to receive federal funding, schools must follow all tenets of Title IX, which requires that they respond effectively to sexual violence that occurs both on and off campus. “Our first goal is prevention through education. Information is always the best way to combat sexual violence. Our larger goal is to raise awareness to an issue that should have no place in society and especially in our schools,” said Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, during the official announcement. The Administration’s guidance outlines prevention tactics and rules for response, which include ending “hostile environments” for survivors, which could include expulsion. Guidelines do not require schools to involve local police unless it is requested.
But the best remedy is prevention. While rape is never the fault of the victim, there are things students can do to lower their risk. “Trust your instincts. If you feel unsafe in any situation, go with your gut and leave. Also, it’s important to make people earn your trust. Just because you recognize someone from class, or s/he is in your social group, doesn’t mean that they’ll look out for your best interests. Get to know people first and then decide whether to trust them,” Hull says. Find more tipson the RAINN website.
For those who have already survived an assault, there is help. Take Hull’s advice: “It’s never too late to begin the recovery process. Call the National Sexual Assault Hotline 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) to be connected with your local rape crisis center, or chat online with a RAINN staff member.”
