Sexual Assault in College
Name
Institution
Dealing with Sexual Assault in College
Background
Sexual assault is a form of sexual violence that covers a wind range of coerced and unwanted sexual activity. These forms of sexual violence include attempted rape, which can be described as uninvited fondling or sexual touching and rape, which is normally the penetration of a victim’s body without their verbal consent. Sexual assault can also entail driving an individual into non-consensual sexual relations through manipulation, physical or emotional coercion, or the use of psychosomatic force such as the use of intimidation and threats. Whatever form the heinous act takes, victims should always remember that it is not their fault.
Sexual assault is a significant problem on campuses. Young women in the customary age range for college students, which is between 18 to 21 years, are four times more likely to be victims of sexual assault than all the other age groups, and those that attend college face an even greater risk than those than do not. Compared between genders, only 4 percent of men are sexually assaulted in college against about 25 percent for the case of women (Calhoun, Mouilso & Edwards, 2012). In more general terms, one in every five young women is assaulted in college as compared to one in every 16 men. These assaults do not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, or gender. A large number of sexual assaults almost amounting to 90 percent of all cases go unreported, and when reported, they are not considered official (Mellins et al. 2017). The lack of proportionate reporting is, at times, attributed to the fact that most assaults occur between friends, which blurs the consideration both of assault and of consent. Unlike assaults initiated by strangers, acquaintance rape may not be perceived by the perpetrator and victim as rape, which may then discourage disclosure.
Women are obviously the most affected as indicated by statistics, but another even more specific demographic is in lesbian, gay, or bisexual women experience sexual assault more than those that are heterosexual. Also, women joining college in their first and second semesters are at a higher risk of sexual assault.
Causes of the problem
Sexual assault on campus is mostly associated with alcohol consumption and drug abuse. A study shows that 15% of the first year college women suffered incapacitated (Sutton & Simons, 2015). Incapacitation means that these women were raped because they were not in a position to give consent because they were not aware of what was happening. College students are notorious for binge drinking, and first years are more likely to suffer extreme consequences because of their low alcohol tolerance.
Peer pressure is another cause of sexual assault in college. Young college women live with their peers and not mature, responsible adults who may pressure them to engage in activities that may eventually result in sexual assault. These activities include going out for parties, which mostly entail unsupervised and uncontrolled drinking and drug abuse, or engaging in sexual activities that they are not comfortable participating in. It should be understood that being coerced to engage in sexual activities for social acceptance is a form of sexual coercion. After experiencing sexual assault or rape, victims face extremely difficult and painful emotions and experiences.
Effects of Sexual Assault
Every victim has his or her own way of responding to the trauma. The effects of the ordeal and can either be short-term or long-term. Sexual assault has serious consequences, with the immediate concern being injuries to the body, which may be severe enough to warrant medical attention or hospitalization. Additional concerns to physical injuries are pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. Emotional damage is another concern that may warranted specialist care. Because of the emotional damage, sexual assault victims may start recording low academic achievement and a withdrawal from meaningful contributions to the college community. Students that have experienced assault more often do not perform at the level they did prior to the incident and fail to carry the usual course load and often miss class. These are usually the effects of social withdrawal, often from the wish to avoid the offender. Extreme cases, assault victims drop course altogether, leave school, or transfer.
Alongside poor academic performance, injuries, and withdrawal, long-term consequences increased risk of depression, anxiety, substance abuse, post-traumatic stress, eating disorders, suicide, and personality disorders. Depression accompanies prolonged sadness, weight loss or gain, feelings of hopelessness, and overall loss of energy in activities previously enjoyed, such as hobbies. Long-term physical effects for women include problems with their menstrual cycle and sexual dysfunction. If the victim’s reaction does not match any of these common experiences, it is not an indication that they have not suffered the abuse.
Alternative solution 1
The Association’s Committee on Women in the Academic Profession through its subcommittee on Sexual Assault on Campus in October of 2012 released a statement that included suggested policies on the best way to manage campus sexual assault. The statement suggests that institutions are not doing enough or approaching the problem in the right way by incorporating sexual assault into existing procedures and policies governing professional ethics, violence, or sexual assault on campus (Association’s Committee on Women in the Academic Profession, 2012). The statement suggests solutions for institutions that wish to have separate policies and procedures on how to manage sexual assault within their institutions. These solutions include close coordination with law enforcement and ensure that incidents are investigated and adjudicated. Institutions should ensure compliance with Title XI, which requires institutions to forward cases of sexual violence, and track the patterns of sexual delinquencies and similar behaviors that create a hostile environment for young women in college.
After following regulations provided in law and engaging law enforcement, the subcommittee suggests the creation of policies and procedures that are comprehensible across the entire institution and in line with states and federal law. Management across appropriate campus and noncampus divisions will ensure a clearer perception of the problem. If applicable, these policies and procedures should be consistent with collective bargaining agreements. The effective management of sexual assault on campus will also rely on comprehensive changes in campus culture.
This solution requires a hands-on approach where all members of a campus fraternity, from faculty members, students, staff to the administration, take on the responsibility to address the issue. Each of these members should be represented in the process of developing the process. After the policies are done, then the institution should understand its obligation of ensuring that they are available to every member of the institution’s community. The institutions are required to consult and organize procedures with both campus and noncampus police, social workers, and healthcare providers that are specialized in sexual assault. Creating and maintaining a functioning network is essential to the coordination of campus policy with law enforcement outside the campus and supports the crucial activities of treatment, counseling, referral, investigation, and adjudication, among other causes of action.
The solutions to campus sexual assault are in constant evolution with an increasing body of research working to achieve the goal of ascertaining as a set of best practices. Until then, the benefits of this approach include the reduction in the rate of campus sexual assault through deterrence. Respecting and upholding well-orchestrated procedures creates a campus culture that is centered on respect and safety. Knowledge gathering ensures that institutions are able to track the effectiveness of its policies and procedures over time and respond accordingly.
Alternative Solution 2
The American Association of University Women (AAUW) is the renowned voice for women’s equity and the empowerment of girls through education. The AAUW has been taking positions on various pertinent issues since its founding in 1881 and does the same on the issue of sexual assault on campus, which affects young women by a larger margin. The AAUW proposes a solution based on the importance of roles played by students, faculty, and staff in addressing the issue of sexual assault and ending violence in institutions. Their proposal suggests that faculty members and staff interact with students on a daily basis and can act as confidants which can result in behavior changes. The solution suggests six ways that faculty and staff can take action to deal with the problem that is sexual violence.
It is important to mention that these solutions mostly border on raising awareness for the students and the adults as well. One way is boosting the learning and deterrence program on campus. This solution defines sexual behavior as one that is acquired. In the same way, campuses can program the minds of students to appreciate gender equity and deference through training, and the use of awareness campaigns. The faculty’s role is to identify opportunities to incorporate the problem into their curriculum by looking at the possibility and relevance to the content. The use of peer counselors, trained faculty members, and staff to offer training in student workshops is also another way of advancing education.
The solution also suggests the use of experts from outside campus to give lectures on sexual assault prevention. The information on experts can be found on the National Sexual Violence Resource Centre. There are also antiviolence organizations that can provide support on where to locate experts or have experts themselves dedicated to the community and social service. In order for the faculty and staff to be instrumental in dealing with the issue of sexual abuse, they require relevant training. A section of the staff and faculty can be trained to assist their colleagues in being more responsive to the issues and becoming more aware of what sexual violence entails. The training should be tailored to cover faculty and staff roles and how to approach a situation where a student reports a case of sexual assault, either directly or indirectly. The training also guides staff and faculty members to appropriate referrals.
The solution also mentions providing resources to the victims of assault such materials that contain steps to follow immediately the action happens. The resources also include trained staff that provides an accommodating environment where one feels easy to report. Medical personnel should also be readily available to deal with issues like HIV and sexually transmitted infections, emergency contraception, and pregnancy testing as well as follow up care. Counseling services and support groups provide the strength a woman requires to stay away from drug abuse depression and self-loathing.
Awareness helps with reporting by helping victims understand what is not acceptable and what it means to be sexually assaulted. It provides an understanding that it is never their mistake no matter the situation and every time consent is not given and primarily by word of mouth that entrails violation, and it is not acceptable. A support process that appears to understand and support the victims increase their chances of coming out and presenting their pains. Without these kinds of support, a lot of young men and women suffer in silence, and the consequences of act extremely affect them more than it should be.
Proposed solution
This paper believes that people with the best influence on matters of college students are the students themselves through student leadership. The student leadership has the ability to change the narrative on certain college cultures such as mad sorority and fraternity parties. In the same way, they can create a huge influence on the issue of sexual assault and change the narrative and demining statistics. Futures Without Violence is an organization that presents a wholesome approach to dealing with the problem using these criteria mentioned (Fisher & Cullen, 2013). Futures Without Violence for three decades have dedicated their resources to set pace for innovative education programs that are aimed at countering violence against women.
The solution begins with the development of a sustainable movement. Student organizations do not have permanent officers, and officeholders frequently change, as a result, it can be hectic to guarantee momentum among the college population. Without student advocates that create a sustainable campus movement to deal efficiently will sexual abuse in college, there will be no progress. This solution is basically an action plan.
Several ways ensure this sustainability;Build a system that efficiently transfers knowledge from outgoing organization members and those that are coming in. A good way to learn how to this is to benchmark how other organizations have done it and adopt the knowledge transfer models.
Identify and develop alliances and partners. These alliances and partnerships include groups and individuals that have the same vision and share the same goals as well as experiences in dealing with violence focused on this specific gender. These groups could be faculty members, community initiatives, and other student organizations.
Develop a strategy. There is no plan that can go long-term without a strategy. A strategy includes organization goals and action strategies. Is should also cover objectives, promotional tactics, and methods it intends to use to ensure the administration is accountable. The strategic plan is a layout of future plans.
Document and store materials. Without copies of processes and materials developed by the organization, whether, digital or in paper, continuation will be highly jeopardized. Incoming officials should be able to find points of reference in order to maintain the main purpose of the movement. All information regarding sexual assaults on campus should be stored to provide incoming officials with a clearinghouse of data that can easily be retrieved.
The second major step is knowing what policies the university has put in place to deal with sexual assault. The evaluation of these policies should be based on the three major pieces of legislation. The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) develops policies that prevent sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking in institutes of higher education. The policies are available on KnowyourIX.org. Different universities and colleges have different bodies that oversee the implementation of these policies. Tertiary education institutes should appoint coordinators who understand sensitive information relating to sexual violence and law, which ensures that individuals identify with relevant authority during a sexual assault.
Understand Your Numbers College campuses are required to collect gender-based violence data. Universities and colleges need to assess sexually-related cases to develop effective prevention and accountability programs. On many campuses, cases of sexual violence go unreported, which calls for the need for administrators to continuously research on methods to improve safety.
Listen to Other Students and Build Narratives Stories move people. Students can provide first-hand information that improves research on campus-based gender violence. Universities and colleges should protect individuals suffering from gender violence and encourage them to speak out, minding that such stories could evoke high emotions among victims/survivors. Also, these institutions must ensure survivors’/victims’ privacy and organize interested individuals into manageable and recognized groups to develop the best course of action.
Create a Media Strategy
Encourage students to develop an effective communication plan that enhances goal development, development of counter policies, offer instructions and raise awareness on violence in colleges/universities such as media tools (for example, Facebook and Twitter), as well as improve the relationship between students and the local community. Universities and colleges can also develop a bridge between college spokesperson and journalists to relay information to audiences due to their credibility. Also, colleges and universities can use social media to award progressive initiatives.
References
Association’s Committee on Women in the Academic Profession. (2012). Campus Sexual Assault: Suggested Policies and Procedures. Retrieved from
Brooks, A. K., & Brooks, A. K. (2018). A Sexual Assualt Prevention Program Proposal for Abilene Christian University (Doctoral dissertation, Abilene Christian University).https://www.aaup.org/file/Sexual_Assault_Policies.pdf
Calhoun, K. S., Mouilso, E. R., & Edwards, K. M. (2012). Sexual assault among college students. Sex in college: The things they don’t write home about, 263-288.
Fisher, B. S., & Cullen, F. T. (2013). Campus Sexual Assault: Suggested Policies and Procedures.Mellins, C. A., Walsh, K., Sarvet, A. L., Wall, M., Gilbert, L., Santelli, J. S., … & Bah, K. (2017). Sexual assault incidents among college undergraduates: Prevalence and factors associated with risk. PLoS one, 12(11), e0186471.Sutton, T. E., & Simons, L. G. (2015). Sexual assault among college students: Family of origin hostility, attachment, and the hook-up culture as risk factors. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 24(10), 2827-2840.
