Appalachian State is stepping up in order to be proactive about sexual assault on campus. The past week, the University premiered a documentary dedicated to sexual assault on college campuses. The Hunting Ground made its debut to show the impact that sexual assault has on college students.
The documentary revealed some pretty surprising statistics. One in every five college women will be sexually assaulted. This totaled more than 100,000 women in every academic school year. But what made this statistic even more surprising was the actual number or assaults that get reported to campus advisors and police. Out of all the cases of sexual assault on a college campus, less than 5 percent of them actually get reported.
The Hunting Ground, displays first hand interviews of people who were sexually assaulted and the aftermath of the situation. This movie hits close to home for Appalachian State Students because the main case discussed in the documentary was at UNC-Chapel Hill, just right down the road.
The filmmakers made it a point in the documentary to not only focus on the situations of sexual assault, but how the increased awareness of sexual assault on college campuses allow for universities to take on the matter rather than ignore it. The student that was sexually assaulted at UNC-Chapel Hill took a legal case against the university because of how she was ignored when she reported this problem. This student also met up with another student who was sexually assaulted on campus and started a campaign called End Rape on Campus. Through the campaign and the legal trail against UNC-Chapel Hill, colleges and universities around the U.S. have taken a much needed look at sexual assault cases that happen on their own campuses.
The main issue justified in the documentary was the colleges and universities around the United States were ignoring the problem that their students were being sexually assaulted. When the documentary was over, Appalachian State made it clear that no student will be ignored in regards to a sexual assault case.
Over recent years, Appalachian State has been taking many progressive steps towards sexual assault awareness. Showing students this documentary really relayed a message on the importantance and seriousness of this issue on college campuses. The Red Flag Campaign has been insturmental in this movement, raising awareness of harassment, stalking, abusive relationships, and sexual awareness. At the panel held after the premiere of the documentary, Jayne Bindu, Associate Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity, and Compliance, made it a point to tell students that their voices will be heard in regards to a sexual assault case. She wants students to feel comfortable talking with someone on campus if they have experience any type of assault.
Sexual assault is a serious topic. With the number of personal experiences shown in The Hunting Ground, especially concerning a rising superstar athlete Jameis Winston, they reveal that sexual assault involves others that you do not think of. The filmmakers made it a point to stress the fact that sexual predators are typically people you already know. This puts things into perspective for college students.