Faculty Views: Sexual Assault Is Out Of Control At Trinity

You've probably seen the posters around campus portraying rape statistics. Why is this necessary, you may ask? Because out of every ten raped women, only one reports it. And one in four women are raped, and males represent 1-6% of all rape victims. On this campus I have heard of four rapes this semester, which means, statistically, there have been thirty-six unreported rapes. The students who come to talk to me and Marilyn Cardone (Sexual Assault Counselor) always tell us of other young women they know who've been sexually assaulted but won't come forward. The posters are a tool to raise awareness about sexual assault, to stimulate thought and discussion. They also serve to help victims (women and men) feel that they are not alone. We hope that with more visibility of the issue, students will feel safer to report it. Reporting it doesn't mean pressing charges: you can talk to myself, Marilyn or a Peer Counselor without reporting the alleged perpetrator's name. We do encourage students who do talk to us to formally report it to the Dean of Students, but only if they want to. In my opinion, if students feel that they are not alone, and are assured they will be listened to in a non-judgmental manner, more will come forward.

I feel that sexual assault is out of control at Trinity. As I said earlier, I've heard of four rapes: two from the women themselves and two from their friends. One rape is too many. I also believe that alcohol abuse is a major contributor. It's reported that over half of campus rapes (nationally) involve alcohol. This is not to say that all students who drink are raped, or are rapists. It does point out that drinking can be a conduit towards the act of violence that rape is. Being drunk can not be use as a defense by a perpetrator, and an inebriated victim cannot give consent. Without consent, sexual contact is sexual assault, and non-consensual penetration by any object is rape. Rape is about violence and power, not sex. Attackers are motivated by a need to control, dominate and harm. The most frequent type of rape is Power Rape, where the person rapes as a way of compensating for feelings of inadequacy, vulnerability or helplessness. 84% of women who are raped nationally know their attackers. Date rape, or acquaintance rape, is the most frequent type of rape on college campuses.

The typical story is that a woman will hook up with a guy at a party, wanting to have fun but not engage in intercourse. They go back to her room because they want to be alone. The guy reports he was misled, given the impression that the woman wanted sex, and ignores her protestations. The woman doesn't want to report him because he's a friend, or someone she will have to see repeatedly the next four years. Meanwhile, she is traumatized, can't concentrate in class, can't study and has nightmares. This may continue for years.

She feels she was to blame - she wasn't. And the perpetrator doesn't know he did anything wrong. What should've happened here is both parties communicated their feelings, desires and intentions. This is more difficult to do if both were drunk, or if they embellished society's expected gender roles and the woman was submissive while the male was the aggressor.

Before I close, here are some tips to prevent sexual assault. Go to parties with friends, and keep an eye out for each other. Watch your drink, to avoid Rohypnol being slipped into it (Rohypnol, or "roofies" is known as the date rape drug, and causes the consumer to black out for hours and remember little. There have been reports of this drug consumed at Trinity.) If you choose to drink, drink sensibly. Excessive drinking clouds your common sense, and could aggravate violent tendencies.

Communicate with your hook-up partner about what you want, don't want and what you expect. This goes for both parties.

If you want to get more involved in the prevention of rape on campus, contact me at x2408. Let's all work together towards a rape-free campus.