I tend to think of myself as the typical female college student. I’m 20, starting my junior year at Northwestern University, I’m in a sorority and I double major in European history and journalism. Unfortunately, as the typical female college student, I have a one in four chance of experiencing rape or attempted rape. The White House found that one in five college students (male and female) experience sexual assault throughout their time in college. And most sexual assaults go unreported. Imagine what these numbers would be like if they included the unreported assaults.
Sexual assault on college campuses has exploded in the media recently. Whether it’s at a big state school like FSU, an elite private school like Notre Dame, or even a high school like St. Paul’s, these cases have attracted national attention.
Right now, 94 college sare under federal investigation in the United States for how they handle sexual violence under Title IX. Title IX is a federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex or gender under any federally funded education or activity program.
At Northwestern, I’m the director of a student organization called Sexual Health and Assault Peer Educators. It’s my mission to work to create a sex-positive environment and to end rape and rape culture on campus.
I’ve found myself incredibly frustrated with the cavalier attitudes I’m often faced with. I’m discouraged because I feel that many students and members of our society don’t understand the gravity of these issues. Sexual assault is not a new problem, but the way we approach it is new. I’ve frequently heard that people are tired of hearing about rape. Guess what? So am I.
More people are not suddenly becoming rapists. Instead, our society, and young women in particular, are becoming more educated about rape. Women are realizing that you don’t have to physically fight back for an assault to occur. Even if you change your mind halfway through and the other person doesn’t stop, it’s still rape. Our realities and perceptions surrounding consent are changing. We see this clearly in California’s ‘yes means yes’ bill, which demands that there be affirmative, voluntary, and vocal consent from all parties.
Our nation has a sexual assault problem. We don’t like admitting it, and the majority of people like to exist in ignorance. That doesn’t change that within four years at school, one in five people and one in three women will be victims of sexual assault or attempted sexual assault. Sexual violence happens on college campuses, and to people of every gender, race and sexual identity and not just heterosexual women. Sexual violence is more prevalent in the Greek communities, as women in sororities are 74% more likely to experience rape.
Northwestern University defines consentas knowing, active, voluntary, present and ongoing. Anything other than this is sexual assault. Consent is not present when an individual is incapacitated due to age or physical condition (sleep, lack of consciousness or incapacitation due to alcohol or drugs). Theoretically, this eliminates the possibility of victim blaming and slut shaming, as it is never a survivor’s fault. So why do we still hear things like ‘What were they wearing?’ and ‘She shouldn’t have drank so much. What did she expect to happen?’
Wikipedia defines rape culture as ‘a concept within feminist theory in which rape is pervasive and normalized due to societal attitudes about gender and sexuality.’ This is clearly oversimplified, but I’m tired. I’m tired of hearing rape jokes on campuses and in ‘funny’ movies.
We need to keep educating. We need to stop teaching girls how to ‘not get raped,’ and instead teach people not to rape. We need to teach people about respect and consent, not criticize skirts for being too short or walking late at night. I truly believe as a society we can beat this, and that’s why I keep fighting.
Most college campuses already have organizations combating sexual violence. If not, start one! You can also volunteer at your local rape crisis center or donate money to organizations such as RAINN or Planned Parenthood. Keep raising awareness, keep speaking out, and keep fighting.
Mollie Cahillane is passionate about social justice, feminism, good books and Taylor Swift. She's a third-year journalism and history student at Northwestern University, the director of Sexual Health and Assault Peer Educators and a member of the Kappa Delta Sorority.
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