The recent Rolling Stones article on a 2012 rape of a freshman girl on the campus of The University of Virginia puts the issue once again in the national spotlight. The account places a teen at a fraternity party where she is escorted upstairs and gang raped by 7 of the university's students. Encouraged by her friends to remain quiet, the student struggled with daily life both on and off campus.
Most people know that sexual predators develop and polish their habits of victimizing women. We also know that young teens who are in the company of drugs and alcohol will do things that lead to horrible regrets. However, we do not take into account an accepted culture of rape and sexual assault on today's college campuses. A student may brush off sexual assaults as a "bad night" from a much desired party. Fused with that is the existence of university administrations that are less concerned about protecting its students and are more interested in both maintaining the enrollment of next year's freshman class and protecting itself from a bad reputation.
In response to suspected cover-ups, the Obama administration announced a Title IX investigation of schools suspected of inadequately handling sexual-violence complaints. If found in violation, universities face the risk of financial penalties, and possibly revoking federal funding. One would assume that if the Title IX investigation is true to its mission then universities will take the necessary steps to rid a culture which has proven to be incurable.
The bottom line is that universities are not doing enough to protect their students. They are not giving young woman unbiased advice regarding their choices, they are placing their own reputation over the needs of those victimized on their grounds, and they are masking this activity behind reports that are so skewed that the parents believe they are sending their children to safe havens. Every semester there are small shattered female voices who are too afraid to talk about the worst night of their lives. In addition, there are also the proud voices of those whose selfishness prevents them from ridding the very culture that they began.
Due to the lack of response by university administrators who claim to take the matter seriously, now is the time for other voices to take the lead. The words that are unheard are the ones who hold the positions as guardians, uncles, aunts, and mentors. They are indeed the ones who are responsible for the overall care of the student. The time to address the issue is now. When a rape or sexual assault happens to your child, your voice in the matter just might be too late.
Brian L. Elliott, The Scarlet Journal
December 1, 2014, 6:09 EDT
