Did you know that 1 in 5 female students are sexually assaulted at least once during their time in college? That is a crazy statistic; I did the math and that’s a potential for around 2700 students at UNCG to be a victim of sexual assault at some point during their college experience. One of the saddest parts of this is that only around 20% of these incidents will be reported because women are often afraid to talk about what happened to them for fear that if they do the perpetrator will not be convicted and the university will not properly handle the situation. Some victims are even publicly shamed when they have the courage to speak up.
One case involves a girl at a university in Washington who was raped by her boyfriend after he began acting without her consent in ways that made her uncomfortable and she broke up with him. He then came into her dorm after they broke up and forcibly assaulted her. She asked her school for a disciplinary hearing and wanted him to be suspended from sports because he was an athlete, and requested counseling for sexual assault. She was not granted a disciplinary hearing, but instead the school said she should do mediation and quit her job with the athletic program. During a mediation session, the mediator asked her “Why did you open the door?” “Why didn’t you call the police?” This form of victim-blaming can be extremely damaging to survivors of sexual assault, often making them feel as if they are responsible for what happened to them, which is obviously not the case.
That case was back in 2001 and luckily we have made some progress since then with documentaries like “The Hunting Ground” showing how women are treated in college when they speak out about assault, as well as more and more people coming forward, demanding changes be made to the way colleges handle sexual assault. We also now have Title IX, a law that guarantees equal education regardless of gender, sexual orientation or gender identity, and sexual assault falls under gender discrimination, which puts your education at risk. The school under the Clery Act has to inform the victim of counseling and legal options, and provide academic or living accommodations, meaning if you need to change dorms or classes you can. Though there have been improvements, we still have a long way to go to eradicate sexual assault on college campuses.
It is important to remember that if you are sexually assaulted, it does not matter if you were drinking, wearing a short skirt, walking alone at night, or at first said yes and then changed your mind; it is never your fault. Victim-blaming is a toxic habit of many by placing responsibility on the victim can perpetuate an already rampant rape culture. If you have experienced sexual assault, know that you don’t have to go through it alone and there are plenty of resources available to you right here on campus.
UNCG Police (336) 334-5963
UNCG University Counseling Center (336) 334-5874