We’re all familiar with the traditional picture of a rapist: the picture is of a man who sexually assaults women; he hides out in the bushes, jumps out, and violate them. This is neither common nor helpful because according to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) 2/3 of sexual assaults are committed by people that the victim knows. On April 30th, UChicago screened “The Hunting Ground”, a new documentary that addresses sexual assault on college campuses. The film did justice in addressing the way that colleges fall short in supporting survivors of rape and assault, however it did not give voice to the diverse stories of survivors of sexual assault.
“It seems like the acceptable rape narrative has to do with getting raped at a frat party,” asserts Veronica Portillo-Heap, a fourth year in the college and the co-director of The Clothesline Project (a student run support and advocacy program for sexual assault survivors on campus), “but there are so many narratives that don’t fit that.” Instances of non-stereotypical rapes are completely left out of this picture, so in cases where survivors are either too drunk to consent or only consent to certain acts and not others, survivors are not receiving adequate support, since many do not consider these acts rape.
These individual acts of sexual harassment stem from a much larger, systemic problem. Rape culture, (a term that is designed to highlight how this society blames survivors of rape and normalizes sexual violence), promotes the acceptance of these blasé attitudes towards sexual assault.
The way that these problems are manifested at this University are very unique. We’re nerdy. We’re quirky. We are a handpicked group of hyper-smart people who, in general, spend more time at the Reg than we do at frat parties. UChicago is where fun comes to die. This kind of thinking nurtures the problematic ideology that the nerdy smart kids won’t have sex, and they therefore can’t be rapists. “These stereotypes play into the denial that rape culture is pervasive on this campus,” says Matt Kellner, a fourth-year in the College and a student activist, “they perpetuate the idea that rape and sexual assault don’t happen here.”
Another issue that survivors face when confronting their rapists is violent anger. “People are willing to excuse [sexual assault and rape] as miscommunication or misunderstanding because they think that doesn’t happen here, and people think that because we’re so awkward we don’t have a culture that allows rapists to walk free on campus,” says Kellner. This unfortunately, is not limited to UChicago. 75% of college presidents believe that sexual assault is a serious problem, but only 6% of those think that it is a problem on their campus, according to a survey conducted by Higher Ed. Without believing that rape and sexual assault is a current, prevalent issue in all facets of society that stems from a systemic normalization of sexual violence, it will be impossible to move past this problem.
If you’re interested in learning more about sexual assault and rape on campus, and also how you can get involved, attend Sexual Assault Awareness Week, happening 8th week of this spring quarter, (May 17-22). These student-run workshops are a great way to learn about all the hard work that student activists have been doing, and also learn about ways that other students can get involved and support survivors.