Sexual Assault on College Campus

Victim Blaming Society
The dictionary definition of rape is: The unlawful compelling of a person through physical force or duress to have sexual intercourse; any act of sexual intercourse that is forced upon a person (Locovetto, 1). Sexual assault is extremely prevalent, especially on college campuses; unfortunately the taboo surrounding the topic prevents many from stopping, reporting and dolling out proper punishment of the offense. An alarmingly large number of sexual assault cases go unpunished or have punishments that are seen as “a slap on the wrist” to the victims of the assault.
The article by Kristen Lombardi, “A Lack of Consequences for Sexual Assault” recounts the event of a student at Indiana University, Margaux J., and her dealings with the university against her case. A fellow hall mate sexually assaulted Margaux while she was intoxicated. The university ruled the case as “sexual contact” instead of rape, saying both parties had been drinking, and gave the assailant suspension over the summer semester, a time he wasn’t likely to attend anyways. Margaux viewed the “60 day suspension as a sign of just how casually colleges and universities treat cases of alleged sexual assault” (367).
Sexual assault cases like these aren’t exclusive to places that seem far from our reach, but happen in our own backyard. Sam Tucker Locovetto, a teacher and graduate student from Colorado State University, wrote a disgruntled article, “Soapbox: CSU letter takes wrong approach to sexual assault”. In the letter Locovetta describes how society has “reproduced the victim-blaming rhetoric of rape culture” (1). In an email sent out to students about campus safety, the university cautioned women about steps they should be taking in order to prevent sexual assault instead of then focusing on putting the responsibility of sexual assault on the perpetrator themselves.
In a rape case involving two football players at a high school in Stuebenville, Ohio one protester held a...