On Wednesday evening, TEDxPSU and SPA sponsored the viewing of a newly released documentary that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about.
The Hunting Ground is quickly taking the country by storm (literally, check out the schedule HERE). And I can fervently say that this is a film that every college student must see.
An exemplary illustration of investigative journalism, the documentary follows the stories of two sexual assault victims from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill who bonded over the tragedies they endured.
They helped themselves when their school would not.
The girls spent months pouring over legal documents, criminal cases, past records—anything they could find to prove that their university was undermining the rampant problem on sexual assault on their campus.
After their story made the cover of The New York Times, they were contacted—by both women and men—who said they had experienced the same things.
They traveled the country to meet these victims, and empower them to step forward and take a stand against their universities.
The film tells the story of numerous sexual assault survivors across the country. Some students found the courage to battle the higher powers of their institution, but others crumbled under the trauma—they dropped out of school, fell into depression, and even committed suicide.
A powerful segment featured the immunity of athletes, citing the incident of Florida State University quarterback Jameis Winston—who won the Heisman Trophy with his DNA in a rape kit.
For the 90 minutes that I watched this documentary, I was blown away by the testimonies of survivors and university faculty who exposed the corruption that lies behind the walls of institutions that have flourished for thousands of years.
On more than one occurrence, I found myself staring at the screen with my mouth wide open.
The film is an empowering experience that I think every college student, male and female, should endure. It is an eye-opening documentary that exposes the dark truth of a truly tragic epidemic.
I urge everyone to educate themselves about sexual assault, especially while we spend our time on campus. Our four years as college students are truly the best years of our lives, but that can easily change in only a few short minutes.