A Crisis on Campus: Sexual Violence
College is meant to be a time of adventure and exploration. As long as sexual violence is a second or third order issue, for many students their time at college will be marked by fear and anxiety.
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Kevin Frazier graduated from the UO in 2016. He currently attends the UC Berkeley School of Law and Harvard Kennedy School. Kevin has the distinct pleasure of running The Oregon Way.
When Ducks return to school this Fall, COVID-19 won’t be the only crisis facing students. More than one in five women (20.8%) at the University of Oregon experience nonconsensual sexual contact by physical force or an inability to consent; more than one in ten (10.5%) experience sexual assault and misconduct; and, slightly more than one in two (59.0%) women think that campus officials will take their sexual assault reports seriously. Sexual violence was a crisis before the pandemic and will continue to be one when things return to “normal.”
These staggering numbers suggest that the University of Oregon, higher education institutions in general, and our society as a whole have a long way to go to provide every student with the sense of safety required to reach their full potential.
The crisis on our campuses isn’t confined to women. More than one in ten (10.6%) Trans, gender queer, nonbinary or questioning (TGQN) students, for instance, report experiencing sexual assault and misconduct. And, fewer than one in two (43.8%) of TGQN students believe that campus officials will take their reports seriously.
Just five years ago, when I was a student at the UO, the crisis was at an even higher point. As early as Fall term of my first year, I was already hearing stories of my dorm floor neighbors being abused, taken advantage of, and then ignored when they reached out for help. For those who have their first days as a Duck tarnished by such a violent act, their perspective on school and the campus community was forever changed. Walking home alone was a no-go. Every drink poured was viewed suspiciously. Every new potential partner was also a potential threat. This anxiety, fear, and suspicion is exhausting and demoralizing.
In addition to those short term effects, the vast majority of sexual violence victims face long term barriers to reaching their full potential. One study found that “91 percent of the participants reported health problems related to the assault that they attributed to difficulties they faced in their attainment of their education and career goals.” Another study determined that victims go one to experience “abusive and unhealthy relationships, dating apprehension, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) triggers within intimate relationships, and disclosure to a partner.”
Ending sexual violence will not be easy, but it should be our goal. As with any crime, to reduce such violent behavior, there must be a higher deterrent. Perpetrators of sexual violence must fear enforcement of strict laws and be held accountable when guilty. That’s certainly not the case now. A probe by the Center for Public Integrity uncovered that “students deemed ‘responsible’ for alleged sexual assaults on college campuses can face little or no consequence for their acts. Yet their victims’ lives are frequently turned upside down.”
The first step in ending sexual violence is raising awareness and making the resolution of this crisis a priority for campus leaders. The University of Oregon has rightfully celebrated some decreases in rates of sexual violence in recent years, but when one in two women still don’t feel comfortable reporting their attack, there’s a helluva lot of room for improvement.
College is meant to be a time of adventure, exploration, and community building. As long as sexual violence is a second or third order issue, for many women and TGQN students, college will be a time marked by periods of fear, anxiety, and depression.
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