A good school district is something soon-to-be homeowners look for when deciding where to purchase a home. This is because they want a safe environment for their children to receive an education. For the most part, the child is guarded by the safe environment their parents had selected, until their senior year of high school. After graduation, the child is an adult and can now make their own decision of which college they want to attend. The new taste of freedom is sweeter than anything the high school graduate has ever tasted. Unfortunately, in the year 2016, this freedom may come with a harsh price.
It is statistically known that one in five women, and one in sixteen men are raped or sexually assaulted during their college careers. It is hard to imagine that a group of five young adults go away to college, and at least one of them will be raped. We look for a silver lining to this problem, but it is clear there is none. Barbara Booth and Eliana Dockterman are two journalists that have tried to tackle this issue with facts and background information in order to provide answers to the community. Both authors talk about how much is truly being done on campuses, what leads to these offenses, and what are the effects on the victims.
Just by the title, “One of the most dangerous places for women in America,” reporter Barbara Booth gets straight to the point. Booth begins her article by giving us the story of Jackie, a senior at Syracuse University. Without re-writing the entire story, Jackie was raped her sophomore year after having her drink tampered with by a male student she had spoken briefly with online, but never in person. Jackie, after showering, had gone to the hospital but had nothing to prove she was assaulted because of her cleaning up. Booth continues to give facts such as “for freshman, the first six weeks of college,(between student orientation and Thanksgiving break), are considered the “red zone”” (Booth 7). Booth then critiques the statistic that one in five women are raped in college. She states, “According to a new report… nearly 1 in 4 college women say they are sexually assaulted before they graduate” and since these numbers are higher, it is imperative to take action (Booth 8). She continues on and refers back to Jackie’s case and adds that many other victims are also raped while drinking or under some type of incapacitation (Booth 11). Another fact mentioned is that most cases go unreported. For the cases that are reported, it is not uncommon for the incidents to be hidden or set aside by college administrators in order to keep campus crime rates low (Booth 13).
The rate of sexual assaults on campus has always been an issue but lately it has spiked, due to more national coverage. Currently, there are over 139 colleges being investigated for how they handle sexual assault/rape cases. Schools being investigated include Harvard, Vanderbilt, Stanford, Brown, Cornell, and more. A conflict of interest arrises, according to Booth, that the same people hired to advocate to survivors of these attacks are also hired by the school to keep their records clean (Booth 19). Booth closes her argument by giving examples of student organizations that have begun, including specific students who now advocate for the issue, because according to a member of one of these groups, Will Little, “Its more on the students to stop it. The administrators are not going to be at these parties, where it’s happening” (Booth 36).
After reading through the thirty-six paragraphs of Barbara Booth’s article, I believe she has made well-educated points and has supported them with evidence and real-life examples. One point she mad that I highly agree with is that of the “red zone.” She says the “red zone” is the beginning time of college for a freshman. This absolutely is one of the most dangerous times. I believe, like many others, that the first months are dangerous because of new environment, new people, and new experiences. We come into college expecting the best times of our lives, but forget about the dangers that lurk around the corner.
Booth also makes a claim that for the cases that are reported, a vast amount of them are kept hidden or in secret by the schools administration. This is one of the most appalling and disgusting accusations that could be made against a school, but unfortunately, it is true. If you look closely, it makes sense of why the schools hide the cases, right? Keeping quiet about sexual assault on campus means you don’t have to list it on “Crimes on Campus in 2016” which makes the school look good, and in turn ensures a normal amount of incoming freshman the next year. However, if all reports of sexual assault were to be listed, I could bet lots of money that the school would see a decline in applications received to attend. Now, it is a case of what is more important. Are the lives and mental well-being of students more of a priority, or does the reputation of an ivy-league college trump the previously mentioned claim? Sadly, and quite disturbing, today we live in a money hungry, power driven society that looks out for self-based issues. To these schools, whether it is admitted or not, I believe the lives of the students may take a backseat to the well-being of the colleges name. Something that stood out to me within Booths article was the list of schools being investigated. Harvard, Cornell, Vanderbilt, Stanford, Brown, and more top-rated colleges that many students dream of attending (Booth 18). These are excellently rated schools that produce some of the most successful individuals in the country, but apparently very dangerous with rape culture.
A quote, by U.S Senate Subcommittee on Financial & Contracting Oversight, was placed in Booths article, and it is very alarming. The quote reads, “Out of a sample of 440 colleges and universities, more than 40 percent of them failed to conduct a single sexual violence investigation in the past five years.” Knowing the society we live in today, how is it possible there was not a single instance of sexual assault/rape at most schools? Not only statistically, but logically, this makes no sense. The facts provided in this article give me a clear image that colleges across the nation are ignoring a major issue thats right under their noses.
Booth had strong opinions based on how the colleges themselves dealt with issues of sexual assault. This is an important factor to look at under this topic. However, another important factor to consider is the students themselves. Journalist for Time magazine, Eliana Dockterrman, wrote an article earlier this year titled “‘Party Culture’ No Longer Excuses Rape on College Campuses” which focuses not on the schools, but the culture in which sexual assault on campus is a normality.
Dockterman starts off with the example of a Stanford student, Brock Turner, who was convicted of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman behind a dumpster (Dockterman 1). The defense used by Turner was to say it was a drunken mistake, instead of rape, it was “idiot boys and girls having too much to drink” according to a friend of Turner’s (Dockterman 2). Turner also defended himself by saying he was shattered by the party culture of today. After the verdict came out, six months in jail, the victim spoke out saying “We were both drunk… the difference is I did not take off your pants and underwear, touch you inappropriately and run away” (Dockterman 3). Dockterman continued by giving statistics similar to Booths, such as 1 in 4 women are raped.
The journalist now switches gears to party culture. She states “this creates a culture in which women are responsible for preventing their own rapes” and also gives examples of how the victim could have avoided it. Some ways to avoid rape, according to Dockterman and party culture, is not getting to drunk, or not wearing a certain outfit. The question Dockterman proposes now is “why didn’t he respect boundaries” (Dockterman 5)? Again, Dockterman makes similar claims as Booth with what should be happening in schools to prevent such acts. The journalist also explains how the party culture is breaking down and how students are aiming to educate one another on what could happen and what to do if you experience sexual assault. Sororities also cut ties with the National Panhellenic Conference, which forced them to join fraternity parties, and became independent in order to begin their own “party culture” where the sisters have each others backs, as a responsibility (Dockterman 8).
Dockterman’s article, yet much shorter than that of Booth, addressed the issue of party culture using an example that is very relevant to our time, and news stations, and straight to the point information. I agree with the points Dockterman makes. The case of Brock Turner was unacceptable but was downplayed, and somewhat accepted by the judge and friends of the accuser, because of a made up culture where it is ok to force yourself onto someone else when you are intoxicated. This is completely appalling. Six months in jail is not justice to a victim who now must think of the horrible occasion everyday.
Something that stuck out to me in Dockterman’s article was her statement that “in America, forced sex with someone you know-a friend, boyfriend, someone you met at a party-wasn’t even really considered rape until the mid-1980’s…” (Dockterman 4). If rape was publicly accepted in society only about thirty years ago, what is to stop people from accepting it today as well? This is the party culture coming into play. Dockterman makes good points on how people are swaying from this culture to what is morally right such as a Title IX investigation into 55 universities, Vice President Joe Biden’s advocacy for the subject, and the recognition of many sexual assault prevention programs available to students.
While both articles have similarities with statistics and basic facts about the issue, Booths article tends to leave you more with the feeling of empowerment to get something done, while Dockterman’s leaves you with a sense of contemptment that things about the culture are intact changing on their own.
Without a doubt, sexual assault or rape on college campuses is a major issue of the twentieth century. One out of every five women experiencing this tragedy is too many. After considering both articles, we can attribute blame for this crisis on the lack of action of the college administrations and the party culture todays students embrace. These are not the only facts about assault, however. We must consider all factors, yes administrative misconduct and party culture are involved, but what about male superiority of women and lack of knowledge? If equality of the sexes, usually a feminist view of how society should be, was adopted in todays college scene, maybe the rate of assault would go down. A man would no longer think he is more important, stronger, smarter, or overall better than the woman he choses to assault. Of course it is not always a man rapping a woman, but for this example it will suffice. Knowledge is also important. If a young woman in her freshman year of college has no knowledge of rape on her campus, she is an easy target. Now, if the woman has the knowledge to detect warning signs that she may be in danger, she is more likely to be able to remove herself from the situation, ask for help, or defend herself in a proper manner. I believe these are two important things that must also be taken into account which both Booth and Dockterman failed to acknowledge. One thing I must say is that in both articles, Booth’s especially, my eyes were opened to how passive colleges truly are to this topic. It is scary to think something like rape could happen to me at school, somewhere that is supposed to be safe, and it may be hidden as if I am not more important than a number on a page for administrators.
It is hard to make a solid claim about this topic at this point. I know so much, but feel as if I have so much still to learn. Just reading about the act of sexual assault second hand does not allow me to fully grasp the victims pain, or the attackers motivation. More research would be necessary for me to make a fully developed and final argument.
Without contest, it is easy to say rape is wrong, the victim is never alone, and we must work together to stop it. With that being said, there is still so much we don’t know about it, until it happens to one of us. The goal now, is to dig deeper. Press administrations for heavier penalties against accusers, and more help for the victims. Changing the way people think is difficult. However, if we can change the way people see rape on campus as too one hundred percent wrong, one hundred percent of the time, I believe a main component of this current issue may be resolved.