Last night I attended a viewing of “The Hunting Ground” at the Steel Stacks in Bethlehem, PA. As the film concluded, I felt an immediate sadness take over my body. There is a level of responsibility that came with being part of the audience, especially given that I was sitting amongst the exact demographic the documentary had been disclosing about.
For those of you who may not know (but should) “The Hunting Ground” is a documentary that reports on the epidemic of sexual assault on college campuses in the United States. The documentary highlights how college administrators fail to bring the perpetrators to justice, and therefore enables predators to remain on campus. Two girls, who were failed by the system, knew that this trend needed to be changed.
Andrea Pino and Annie Clarke were catalysts for a very important conversation that needed to be happening: rape culture.
Rape culture is the University of North Carolina administrator who told a victim that her assault was “like a football game. If you look back on the game, what would you do differently in that situation”. Instead of the support the victim was seeking, she got blamed.
Here’s a scenario for you: A student cheats on an exam and gets expelled from school. A college student rapes a classmate and gets a slap on the wrist.
From 1998-2013 the University of Virginia had 183 expulsions for cheating and other honor board violations. They had 0 for sexual assault. So, let me get this straight: you can expel a student for cheating because it misrepresents your school and the student code of conduct, but not a rapist because apparently that is fine? Sound logic. (not)
The issue is no college or university wants their rape statistic increasing and deferring students. They have adopted a “hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil” way of “dealing” with these cases.
The survivors have turned their injustices into agency. They are the voices for those whose voices had been stolen from them, whose words had been concealed.
Here are some examples of girls who have fought back:
Emma Sulkowicz. Survivor. Walked around campus “carrying that weight” around with her. That weight being her mattress.
Erica Kinsman. Survivor. Despite the numerous threats she received, she proceeded with her case to find justice. She never got it.
Andrea Pino and Annie Clarke. Survivors. Activists. Spent all of their waking hours finding a way to get justice. Traveled university to university. State to state. All to educate victims on Title IX and how this can help them.
Here is how you can fight back: Don’t be a bystander. Its On Us. This campaign pledges a “personal commitment to help keep women and men safe from sexual assault. It is a promise not to be a bystander to the problem, but to be a part of the solution”.
If you have ever been raped and feel isolated, lost, confused, etc., you can get help. It is just a phone call away.
Kutztown University’s Women’s Center: 610-683-4655
The center will put you in touch with an advocate who can help you each step of the way. This includes accompaniment to the hospital, legal proceedings, self-help, etc.
Something to keep in mind:
No two journeys are the same. Survival looks different to everyone. Sometimes, survival is getting out of bed in the morning because you haven’t done that in a week. Sometimes survival is lonely. But sometimes survival is strength.
“Some days I go to bed a ‘survivor’ and wake up a ‘victim’; some days I go to bed a ‘victim’ and wake up a ‘survivor’.” – Kamilah Willingham
You are not alone. Support is always a decision away. Please educate yourself. Please step in. We deserve a rape-free campus.