1 in 6 Women and 1 in 33 Men are Survivors of Sexual Assault.
In the comfort of our small and isolated community, it is easy to forget that crimes occur at Gustavus. They are not limited to speeding tickets and drinking violations, either. Sexual assault happens here. In fact, college students are especially vulnerable to sexual violence.
According to a 2002 study conducted by the Department of Justice, one in six are the survivors of an attempted rape, and 83% of them were under the age of 24.
“Gustavus is not immune to criminal activity,” Professor of Health and Exercise Science Aaron Banks said. “The majority of crimes committed on campus are done at the hands of current students or friends.”
This form of sexual assault is commonly known as date rape or acquaintance rape. “Date rape is a social term to indicate that rape does not have to happen with a stranger,” said Professor of Political Science Kate Stenger.
Often the concept of date rape is surrounded by confusion in identifying it, but Jackie Alvarez of the Gustavus Counseling Office said, “Anything that’s unwanted or forced upon you is a form of sexual assault. And when we talk about date rape, what we mean is unwanted sexual contact perpetrated by someone you know.”
Anytime an individual does not consent to sexual activity, it qualifies as assault. The Gustavus Guide states that any contact of a sexual nature “that is directed at a person who is physically helpless or mentally impaired or incapacitated” qualifies as sexual assault. It specifies that, “Mental incapacitation includes intoxication.”
Acquaintance rape occurs more frequently than other forms of sexual assault. “It’s not that whole myth of the stranger jumping out of the bushes. That doesn’t happen here very often,” Alvarez said.
A Gustavus student who survived sexual assault said, “I was not kicking and screaming in a dark alley, but it was still assault.”
Dean of Students Ruth Johnson pointed out that the administrators recognize that acquaintance rape is a more common crime on this campus, and that there is great concern for what happens behind closed dorm room doors and at parties.
In addressing this issue, Gustavus faces many challenges. Creating a culture where survivors of sexual assault feel comfortable reporting a crime is just one of them.
As a survivor of sexual assault, in such a tight-knit community, “you might have a class with [the perpetrator]; you might live in the same building,” Stenger said. “And so it becomes harder to report.”
Despite the difficult task at hand, Gustavus has put tremendous effort into overcoming these challenges and effectively responding to sexual assault.
“A lot of college campuses want to pretend it doesn’t happen,” said Lila Kahmann of Crime Services Inc, a non-profit that offers services to survivors of sexual violence in Nicollet County.
She does not believe Gustavus attempts to hide or underplay sexual assault in any way. Both Hank Toutain and Johnson emphasize that they make it a priority to create a system where people feel comfortable reporting, and they view increased reporting as a generally positive thing.
“We know that sexual assaults are happening and if we have more people reporting them that’s the first step in breaking the cycle,” Stenger said.
The administration is not the only group concerned with this issue. The Womyn’s Awareness Center (WAC) and the Peer Assistants (PAs) are two examples of student groups getting involved. Both make it a priority to educate the campus about sexual assault and respond to it.
The PAs and WAC organize multiple events to increase awareness. This month, the WAC will sponsor Take Back the Night and in May the PAs are hosting a sexual assault awareness walk.
Despite efforts by students and administrators to minimize sexual assault in our community, it continues to happen here. According to statistics released annually by the college, 12 people reported being raped in the last three years on campus. With so many groups already existing to confront this issue, what is missing?
Rather than focusing on what the administration or student groups could be doing, many people involved in this issue on campus say that individual students need to ask themselves what they can do to help.
“What can students do to improve upon a culture that seems to encourage, or at least permit, sexual harassment and often sexual assault?” Professor of Political Science Alisa Rosenthal asked. Specifically Rosenthal, and many others, believe that if more males took an active role in preventing sexual assault it would be extremely powerful.
Senior PA Ali Chorley encourages a similar approach. “My biggest goal before I graduate is to get men involved in the fight against sexual assault. It is portrayed mostly as a women’s issue, but if men get involved we can go a lot further,” Chorley said.
“There needs to be a change in the way men think about sexual assault,” said Junior Political Science Major Greg Boone. “If I see my friend going down a path that leads to date rape at a party, I feel an obligation to stop it.”
Junior PA and Biology Major Jason Pitt agreed. “It has become a social norm for alcohol to be used as a way to ‘hook up,’ but people often do not recognize this as sexual assault,” Pitt said.
“Rather than simply ‘looking out for girls’ or walking them home, men need to take a more proactive role,” Rosenthal said.
“We need men who will take a stand when they see the potential for sexual assault around them. If a male sees someone walking upstairs with a girl knowing she is far too inebriated to be in a position to give consent, and his intention is to ‘hook up with her,’ tell him no. Tell him that what he is about to do is called date rape and you won’t allow it.”
Although those who commit sexual assault are predominantly male and survivors are overwhelmingly female, not all men are rapists. In fact, most are not.
“This isn’t a woman versus man problem,” Kahmann said. There are significant issues surrounding men’s perceptions of sexual assault in contrast to the understanding females have.
“If you were to ask most women what date rape is, they could probably tell you. If you were to ask men, they may be able to tell you a wordy definition of it, but when you give them examples, they don’t really understand what date rape is,” Lila said.
“The more that we can talk about matters that are sometimes hidden, the more likely we are to be honest about the reality, and can then take effective action,” said
Ruth Johnson. Unfortunately, men often do not hear about occurrences of sexual assault, even within their own groups of friends, because men who are sexually assaulted usually never tell anyone, and women are more likely to confide in other females.
Often, males are not made aware of that tendency. “It could be their sister, or their ex-girlfriend, or the person that sits next to them in class,” Kahmann said.
“We have come a long way,” said Johnson. “We have sizable challenges in front of us, but we’re starting to figure out how to build coalitions among women and with men to reduce violence.”
Rosenthal said that in the end, it’s in the students’ hands. “On the most fundamental level: you want to stop sexual violence? You all know how to do it: It’s about not letting it happen around you.”