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Emma West
Grant UWRT 1102
April 1, 2015
Is There a Rape Epidemic on College Campuses?

College- -a place where students blossom into adults. However, many students are halted
in this growth because they have been sexually victimized on their own campus. Not only can
being sexually assaulted debilitate you physically, but it also affects you mentally. Girls should
be protected not only under the law, but on college campuses as well. Education is important and
college should be a safe haven. When female students embark on their college career the risk of
being sexually assaulted comes into play. Because many school officials sweep their incidents
under the rug, many victims are left to suffer in silence and their pains are disregarded. Why isnt
our school officials doing more about this epidemic? Our goal should be to make campuses safer
to allow everyone to reach their full potential.
What is rape? The FBI defines rape as Penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina
or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person,
without the consent of the victim." The precise definitions of rape, sexual assault, sexual
abuse can be confusing because of how the state legally defines it. There are three main
factors to consider when questioning rape: Are the participants old enough? Does both
members have the ability to judge if they give consent? Did both members agree to consent?
If no was answered in any of those questions, then legally it is considered rape (Was I
Raped? 1).

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Numerous people try to justify rapes, this is known as techniques of neutralization. As
Chapleau, Oswald, and Russell explain, rape myths are stereotypical or false beliefs about the
culpability of victims, the innocence or rapists, and the illegitimacy of rape as a serious crime
(Fisher 4). Myths adds to the rape culture by showing how the public reacts to the rape victim
and the rape itself. Some examples of rape myths include the ideas that the victim was
promiscuous, or that the woman falsely reported the rape to protect their own reputation
(Burnette et al., 466)
Imagine that you were just robbed at gun point and the perpetrator stole your belongings.
Many would agree that the crime just told was not your fault and in fact the armed robber was at
fault. Now imagine that you just met a guy at a bar and you went home with him. In this same
situation the guy forces himself on you and rapes you brutally. Was this story considered rape?
Keep in mind that you have never met this guy before and you are also drunk. Susan Estrich
dives into the idea of real rape and the ideas that people develop when you discuss rape.
From the book Real Rape, Susan Estrich describes the chilling story of her own
experience that happened in 1974. Shortly before she entered law school she was attacked in a
parking lot. As she was leaving her car, a man pushed her back into her car and heartlessly raped
her. After the deed was done, the attacker stole her money and car. Once the police arrived they
addressed the situation. But was her story believable? She had no bruises; however, she seemed
like an innocent girl. After all, the man was a stranger-- and an African American at that (Fisher
3).
Estrich believes that she was one of the lucky rape victims, not because she didnt get
killed, but because no one doubted her story. Because it was obvious that she didnt give consent,
no one thought that she was asking for it (Fisher 3). There is a fine line drawn between why

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people accept rape myths and why they dont. Many people believe that the victim must have
physical injury to be considered real rape, in addition those same people believe the woman
must fight back to even be considered a victim (Fisher 138).
How does an acknowledged victim define their rape? Gilbert argued that if [college]
women do not think their experience was a rape, then it is likely that what occurred was
something other than rapeat least by legal standards (Fisher 130). This being said, the
majority of rape victims dont know how to classify and acknowledge their experience, so many
dont report it.
The college lifestyle is filled with constant contact with members of the opposite sex,
most of the time with alcohol or drugs nearby. Statistics prove that to 1/5 of college women
will be sexually assaulted within their college; ergo, the college lifestyle might assist sexual
victimization or even rape (Aronowitz, Lambert, and Davidoff 1). People argue that there is a
rape epidemic happening on our college campuses, others might consider that there is no
epidemic and the sexually assaulted victims must take responsibility for their careless actions
(Fisher 130).
On June 3, 1991 the cover of Time displayed a picture of college students allegedly
sexually victimized. The cover was in black and white and across the picture in red letters it said
Date Rape (Fisher 6). In this issue the consent of rape was explored, when does no really
mean no? Although most rapes are never reported, many college women are now speaking out
in protest against their victimization. Time reporter Nancy Gibbs shares this statement:
Women charge that date rape is the hidden crime; men complain that it is hard to prevent
a crime they cant define. Women say it isnt taken seriously; men say it is a concept

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invented by women who like to tease but not take the consequences... Date rape is not
about misunderstanding, they say. It is not about a womans having regrets in the morning
for a decision she made the night before (Fisher 7).
Despite the numerous efforts that universities make to prevent rape on college campuses,
rape is still abundant, especially date rape. Research shows that members of fraternities and
athletic teams have stronger rape-supporter attitudes. Crosset verifies that in NCAA Division I
schools, such as the university in this study, more male athletes are reported to student judicial
boards for sexual assault than any other students. This being said research shows that men who
are involved in aggressive sports are more accepting of violence and take part in more sexual
coercion to dating partners (Burnett et al,. 466).
Similarly, fraternity brothers also have a higher rate of rape myth acceptance. Because of
their double standard beliefs that guys who have more sex are studs and women who do the
same are sluts, their attitudes towards women and sexuality point towards a higher sexual
assault rate. Studies show that more fraternities and sororities consume alcohol before
participating in sexual activity, which may promote the ideas of rape culture on campus. Alcohol
is prevalent in the college lifestyle and it is reported that the majority of unwanted sexual
activities started from the consumption of alcohol (Burnett et al,. 466). This sparks the
controversy that college campuses are not suffering from a rape epidemic, but instead the
students should learn from their mistakes from the night before.
Columbia University senior, Emma Sulkowicz, began carrying around her mattress of
which she was assaulted on as protest. Because of the universitys lack of action they took after
she reported her rape during her sophomore year, Carry That Weight grew more attention and
soon colleges across the United States joined in with the protest. The state of California quickly

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passed the new law Yes Means Yes in regards to Emmas outcry. This law states that an
individual must have a clear understanding of when people agree to sex. Up until that point,
university officials would belittle the extent of sexual assaults and their policies for protecting
young women on campuses were lacking. This law hopes to clarify standards when it comes to
sexual assault on college campuses and progress how universities handle these situations (Morse
1).
Contrary to popular belief, most sexual assaults happen in dating situations. In typical
heterosexual relationships, countless people believe that men are supposed to be the dominant
figure of the relationship; whereas, the women are supposed to play the passive role (Eaton, Asia
A, Matamala 1444). 70% of college relationships are involved in verbal sexual coercion, this
means one partner uses psychological pressure to persuade the other into unwanted sexual
activity. This is more common in dating situations because its not as violent as the other
methods. Most people find that this type of behavior as normal and its not considered spiteful
because they believe its a normal response from a sex driven male. After exploring the values of
traditional heterosexual relationships, research suggests that old-fashioned gender roles promote
male sexual coercion to women. With this in mind we can predict problematic experiences in
college dating situations (Eaton, Asia A, Matamala 1453).
Why dont rape victims report their incidents? A national survey shows that fewer than
5% of rape victims report their cases. The reporting percentage is even lower to those who
consumed alcohol during the situation, because of fear that people would consider them at fault.
Low report rates could be the reason behind why rape culture still exists and creates a sense of
tolerance on our college campuses (Burnett et al,. 467). Fisher explains further in Table 6.3 about

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the likelihood of rape victims reporting (148).

Aronowitz proves through a study that the more sexually educated a student was, the less
they accepted the negative social norms of peers and rape myths. That being said, sexual assault
prevention courses are important to diminishing the rape culture on college campuses. In these
courses, students are educated on the prevalence of sexual assault, suggest safe dating behaviors,
and challenge rape myth acceptance. Some courses focus on teaching women how to prevent
being sexually assaulted and other courses teach men appropriate behavior towards women. All
in all, it is proven that these educational programs benefit students understanding on the topic
and can ultimately reduce the amount of sexual assaults on campus (180).

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Sexual victimization effects college womens lives in one way or another, and proves to
be potentially devastating both mentally and physically. Yes Means Yes laws should be passed
across the United States to protect our students and college universities should be taking even
further precaution to prevent sexual assault. Although we cannot change all of the traditional
minds of young adults from believing that the male should be dominant in sexual context, we can
still offer more rape awareness programs to provide insight towards the rape culture happening
on our college campuses. Overall, we should not mute our victims but instead give justice to
those who have been victimized.

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Works Cited
Aronowitz, T, CA Lambert, and S Davidoff. "The Role of Rape Myth Acceptance in the Social
Norms Regarding Sexual Behavior Among College Students." Journal of Community
Health Nursing. 29.3 (2012): 173-82. Print.
Burnett, Ann, Jody L. Mattern, Liliana L. Herakova, David H. J. Kahl, Cloy Tobola, and Susan
E. Bornsen. "Communicating/muting Date Rape: a Co-Cultural Theoretical Analysis of
Communication Factors Related to Rape Culture on a College Campus."Journal of
Applied Communication Research. 37.4 (2009): 465-485. Print.
Eaton, Asia A, and Alejandra Matamala. "The Relationship between Heteronormative Beliefs
and Verbal Sexual Coercion in College Students." Archives of Sexual Behavior: the
Official Publication of the International Academy of Sex Research. 43.7 (2014): 14431457. Print.
Fisher, Bonnie, Leah E. Daigle, and Francis T. Cullen. Unsafe in the Ivory Tower: The Sexual
Victimization of College Women. Los Angeles: Sage Publications, 2010. Print.
Hinck, Shelly S, and Richard W. Thomas. "Rape Myth Acceptance in College Students: How Far
Have We Come?" Sex Roles. 40 (1999): 815-832. Print.
Morse, Genevieve. "Women Fight Back!" Socialist Alternative. N.p., 04 Nov. 2014. Web. 30
Mar. 2015.
"Was I Raped? | RAINN | Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network." Was I Raped? | RAINN |
Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network. RAINN, n.d. Web. 01 Apr. 2015.