Sexual Assault On College Campuses
Colleges across the U.S. aren't handling sexual assault on their campuses responsibly. In order to protect the image of the university, schools are denying the fact that the problem exists and they are jeopardizing the safety of their students. Sexual predators need to endure the consequences of their actions.
Dear Future President,
It’s a culture of indifference towards young men and women living in the United States. It nibbles at your mental health and then progressively swallows your mind whole. It creates an environment of insecurity and vulnerability – always leaving the survivor asking, “why?” Sexual assault on college campuses is not only a prevalent problem in the United States, but an epidemic that isn’t prevalent today without denial and injustice. University administrators must play their role to ensure protection for all students living on college campuses, but most universities turn their backs on mandated duties because they have an agenda to uphold – the impression of a safe and appealing university.
It’s without question that universities across the country are the homes to numerous sexual assaults. At the University of Michigan’s campus alone, an internal survey revealed that over twenty percent of undergraduate students were touched, kissed or penetrated without consent. Along with the University of Michigan, numerous colleges across the country are also dealing with sexual assault. Women and men that build up the courage to reveal to administrators on college campuses the pain and suffering of being sexually assaulted are more often than not brushed off and pushed away. Administrators often blame the women for the amount of alcohol they drank, what they were wearing and even why they were alone – what they fail to do as administrators is protect their students. In 2015, the film The Hunting Ground revealed the names of 55 universities in the U.S. that were under investigation for poor handling with sexual assault allegations on their campuses. This large number of universities in the United States – homes to thousands of young adults from across the world – is horrifying; there needs to be more action from administrators when it comes to dealing with sexual assault.
I think that the biggest problem when it comes to sexual assault on college campuses is not only that colleges brush off key evidence as unworthy in trial, but that when a perpetrator is stated guilty, his consequences are not justified to the severity to his or her crime. When a Stanford University student named Brock Turner went into court with three charges of sexual assault facing more than a decade in a state prison, but he left with an astounding sentence of just six months in a country jail – possibly three months with good behavior. That’s injustice. Men and women that break the law must face the consequences, and in this day in age they aren’t.
Sincerely,
Lizzie
SUNY Plattsburgh. Digital image. Seventeen Magazine. Hearst, 31 Oct. 2014. Web.
Gray, Eliza. "University Survey Highlights Role of 'Verbal Coercion' in Sexual Assault." Time. Time, 25 June 2015. Web. 18 Oct. 2016.
O'Connor, Lydia. "If You Don’t Get Why Campus Rape Is A National Problem, Read This." Huffington Post. Edition US, 24 June 2016. Web. 18 Oct. 2016.
