By Aspen Elliot / March 20, 2024
Mentions of sexual assault and harassment are common themes throughout the article.
College campuses are supposed to be where lives truly begin. They are meant to be a place to learn and discover who you are as an individual, a spot to gain an education, and a home away from home for the students attending. But underneath the beautiful fantasies of college campuses, many troubling things are occurring.
One of the most prevalent problems that occur far too often on college campuses are sexual assault and sexual harassment incidents. Sexual assault incidents can range drastically from person to person, making it difficult to assign a singular definition to the term “sexual assault” but even though each person’s experience may differ, they are all valid and the topic needs to be addressed more to prevent it from becoming overlooked. When someone has suffered from a sexual assault experience, it immediately creates an environment where that person feels incredibly unsafe. Unfortunately, people often do not come forward about their experiences, whether that be due to their concerns about whether people will believe them, because they blame themselves, or because they are in denial about the situation.
While sexual assault occurs everywhere, on college campuses there is an exceptionally large issue. According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, one in five women and one in 16 men are sexually assaulted while attending college. Additionally, the American Psychological Association states that part of the reason college campuses are such high-profile locations for sexual assault cases to occur is due to something called the “Red Zone.” This term refers to the first few weeks of each new school year when large amounts of events are being held on campuses, and as a result of this, the number of sexual assault cases rises during that period of time. During the “Red Zone” at the start of each school year, 50% of campus sexual assault cases occur, and students who are new to the campus are shown to be at even more risk.
When one thinks of sexual assault cases that they hear about in the news, the first thing coming to mind is probably going to be a rape case, and it’s likely going to be a case involving a man and a woman. However, the Office of Justice Programs states that the most commonly occurring forms of sexual assault on college campuses are unwanted sexual contact and sexual coercion. Coercion is a particularly complicated form of sexual assault. Often the victims feel as though it is partly their fault that this happened or that they’re making too big of a deal out of something because they “gave in.” No one should ever have to feel that kind of emotional turmoil and confusion in the aftermath of being a victim of assault, and it needs to be talked about more
Similarly, while there are forms of sexual assault that are overlooked, there are groups of people suffering from sexual assault cases that are also being overlooked. Based on the evidence provided by the American Psychological Association, gay and bisexual men reported similar rates of on-campus sexual assault as heterosexual women, and LGBTQ+ students also reported having a higher risk of sexual assault than heterosexual and cis students.
These facts, while extremely uncomfortable and difficult to read about, are important to be aware of, because the reality is anyone could be a victim of sexual assault, and often certain marginalized groups that deal with high rates of sexual assault get overlooked and forgotten. With all of the seniors heading to colleges across the country next year, the topic of sexual assault is so important to keep people safe and allow for the best college experience possible.