Commentary: Sex crimes statistics horrific on campuses
When considering which college or university you’d like to attend, you keep certain things in mind, such as average class size, majors offered, athletic programs and the cost of tuition. But one thing I’m sure you don’t normally consider is the number of sexual assaults that occur each day.
In 2004, the AAUW (formerly the American Association of University Women) reported 20-25 percent of women will experience rape or attempted rape at least once during their college career. That’s a pretty staggering percentage. What’s even more shocking is that 95 percent of these cases are unreported.
Let’s travel back in time to 1986. The date: April 5. The location: Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. The time: 6 a.m. Jeanne Clery is fast asleep in her dorm room, when an unknown perpetrator bursts in through the door that should have been locked and rapes her. But he doesn’t stop there. In fact, the stranger tortures Clery repeatedly before finally strangling her to death.
Clery’s parents are not only distressed, but outraged. How could something like this happen to their beautiful daughter? And why? Howard and Connie decide to do a little bit of investigating for themselves. What they find is horrifying and repulsive. According to Security on Campus, Inc.’s website, the couple discovers “students hadn’t been told about 38 violent crimes on their daughter’s campus in the three years before her murder.”
In an effort to combat the violence, Howard and Connie went to Congress and had the Jeanne Clery Act passed in 1990. The proposal states that colleges and universities must disclose all reported crimes to the public. (Pretty smart, huh?) The act was supposed to force schools to crack down on their sexual assault policies, but according to the statistics listed above, it doesn’t seem like many have followed through.
Here’s another factoid: during a 12-month investigation in 2009, the Center for Public Integrity found that about 130 colleges and universities asked for federal funding to maintain better security when dealing with sexual assault cases. And of the cases those same schools have dealt with, only 10-25 percent of the cases have ended in the expulsion of the alleged perpetrator. Wow, unbelievable.
Still not convinced? How about this one: in the same AAUW study I mentioned above, 48.8 percent of women didn’t believe that what happened to them was rape, despite the fact that researchers conducting the survey did. (I know your jaw has probably dropped by now, so grab it from off the floor and listen up because there’s more to the story.) This isn’t the first time in history we’ve seen this trend.
In a 2002 article on the National Organization for Women (NOW) website called “The Sexual Victimization of College Women,” Cindy Hanford states, “Campus officials try to discourage the reporting of rapes to the proper authorities and to handle the matter through campus disciplinary measures – a totally inappropriate response to violent crime. This is done in order to protect the image of their campus…” So, a college’s image is more important than a woman’s well-being after sexual assault?
By now you probably think I’m just throwing out statistic after statistic to demean the security on college and university campuses. But I’m not. I’m simply reporting the facts to make you aware that this isn’t one of those easy, tuck-under-the-rug ideals. This is serious. And sadly, the most effective way for women to combat these overwhelming statistics is to be educated. Here are some tips to take with you:
1. If you’re drinking, be cautious of people who encourage you to drink more.
2. Guard your drink and don’t drink anything with unknown contents.
3. Stay with your friends.
4. Go with your gut instinct and use your best judgment.
5. Know how to get home.
But these tips are just the first step. The Clery Act has opened some doors, but there is still a long way to go. Be aware of your surroundings and stash these hints and statistics in the back of your mind.
Make your personal safety your number one priority.