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  • Essay / Sexual Assault on College Campuses: The Dark Corners of Society

    Table of ContentsThe Real State of the Issue of Sexual Assault in American CollegesConclusionReferencesSexual assault is an evil act. Perpetrators of sexual assault are some of the lowest forms of humanity that humanity has to offer. At the time, sexual assault was an act that happened repeatedly and, frankly, was not often stopped. People actually had the idea that it was a plausible and reasonable thing to do. What's even harder to understand is that sexual assault happens today like no one would believe. Today, people's thinking has changed and the general public views sexual assault as a bad thing, as they should. But because of what sexual assault is, people are afraid to find ways to stop it. Sexual assault is still commonplace in our society and disrupts the lives of countless people. Recently, a light has been shined on sexual assault in colleges. This prompted me to write an essay about sexual assault on college campuses, because it is an issue that affects all of America. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay The day everyone starts college is supposed to be one of the sweetest, saddest, yet happiest days for parents and their child. Parents watch their child leave home, but they know that their son or daughter is starting the next chapter of their respectful life, and they are always proud of it. However, for some parents, as they steer their daughters toward college, they get a glimpse of some of the horrors their daughter could face. An article written by USA Today talks about a fraternity at Old Dominion University and how they showed signs of sexual aggression when parents moved their children in. “Rowdy And Fun!” I hope your little girl is ready to have a good time,” “Freshman Daughter Drop Off,” are just a few examples of the rude and offensive signs shown by the fraternity. The parents were thrilled to see their own little girl turn the page on one chapter of her life and begin the next chapter. But they watched in horror as signs showed young, wild men full of testosterone, waiting to prey on their daughters. The Real State of Sexual Assault in America's Colleges' American College Campuses was written by Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering. The book focuses entirely on the topic of sexual assault on college campuses. An intriguing part of this book is the way it analyzes victims and how they are frowned upon when they report being sexually assaulted. Especially if the attacker was a college athlete. Florida State student Erica Kinsman claimed she was sexually assaulted by star football quarterback James Winston. Winston went on to become a star NFL quarterback. As Kinsman spoke about the horrific assault she faced, it was clear that Florida state authorities were on Jameis Winston's side and protecting him, instead of meeting his needs. Realizing the case was about to become public, FSU officials moved quickly to create a chain of evidence to protect Winston. It's simply shocking. Yes, in the United States people are innocent until proven guilty, but the university should have also helped Kinsman and done everything in its power tomaking sure she was okay. People may be unaware of the issues at hand, they may just be oblivious. They can claim that sexual assault has decreased in recent years, but all they need to do is read a few statistics and they will see how wrong they are. Alison Hatch has written an excellent academic book on this subject, titled “Campus Sexual Assault: A Reference Handbook.” An Association of American Universities survey of 27 universities and more than 150,000 student responses found that 23 percent of female undergraduates reported being victims of nonconsensual sexual contact. Other surveys and studies throughout the book also presented roughly the same statistics. Which is quite worrying, because about 1 in 4 girls in college have sex they didn't want to. To support Alison Hatch's book, there was an article written by CNN's Kelly Wallace on the same topic that even used the same AAU survey. Other key points Wallace made included that percentages of unwanted sexual behavior have increased at some of the most prestigious universities in the United States. Another of his key points was the fact that "nearly 11% said unwanted contact included penetration or oral sex." Sexual assault is a huge problem, one that has not diminished at all. Well-known books are written about it, and well-known news channels also pick up the story. How much more remains to be done until people realize it's time for everyone to come together and stop this. Brandie Pugh and Patricia Becker wrote an amazing scholarly article “Exploring the Definitions and Prevalence of Verbal Sexual Coercion and Its Relationship to Consent to Undesirables.” Gender: Implications for Affirmative Consent Standards on College Campuses.” He analyzed all the different ins and outs of sexual assault. One topic, sexual coercion, was highlighted, and how it is a major factor in causing unwanted sexual behavior. “Another study, defining sexually coercive behavior as the act of using pressure…, alcohol or drugs, or force to obtain sex from a person after they have already refused to having sex, found that 78% of female students reported experiencing at least one tactic. '. It is worth noting that 78 percent of women in this study reported being encouraged and tricked into having sex with people who were trying to influence them. One way to stop sexual assault is to stop the number of times people find themselves in situations where they might be influenced to do something they don't want to do. ConclusionSexual assault is something that needs to be erased and eradicated forever. This should no longer exist. The situation has improved from what it was. However, there are still bad people willing to commit acts. People need to come together and find ways to end sexual assault once and for all. ReferencesKrebs, CP, Lindquist, CH, Berzofsky, M., Shook-Sa, BE, Peterson, KA, Planty, M., ... & Langton, L. (2016). Campus Climate Survey Validation Study, Final Technical Report. RTI International. Cantor, D., Fisher, B., Chibnall, S., Townsend, R., Lee, H., Bruce, C., and Thomas, G. (2015). AAU Campus Climate Survey Report on Sexual Assault and Sexual Misconduct. Association of American Universities. Bureau of Statistics,