In my opinion the two most corrupt nations in the world are China and Russia.
China considers themselves a democracy despite the fact that thee is only ever one candidate on the ballot. Additionally, they oppress their people by censoring the media. Russia elects a "president" (Vladimir Putin), but at this point he's basically a dictator. He's been very oppressive to the Russian people and has banned being homosexual. Both countries have managed to emerge as world leaders despite oppressing their peoples and running mock democracies.
While each country calls themselves a democracy, the rest of the world does not see it that way. Their elections are routinely rigged. There is always only one candidate on the ballet. These countries can change this by opening up elections to have more possible candidates.
Thursday, May 26, 2016
Ryan Monte Comparative Government
The two most corrupt governments
that can be seen are China and Iran. China
is an openly socialist and communist state that has a national assembly and a
president that serves as a figurehead, while the premier of China has all executive
power. Iran is theocratic-democratic nation that combines the ideas of democracy
and theocracy by putting the Islamic jurists over the political figures in a
system called the Supreme Leadership. Iran is corrupt for two reasons. First
they constantly censor free speech and press, and all news is a state run
source, leading to inherently biased news, and because Iran allows the Islamic
religion to have power over the elected officials, leading to a lack of freedom
of religion and to an increase in clerical influence over policy. Iran could
become less corrupt if they would separate the religion from the state and
allow for a truly democratic government.
China is corrupt for two reasons as
well. China has a democratically elected president, however he holds no real
power and services as a figurehead, showing that the peoples votes and voices don’t
count. Another reason is that the communist party is the only political party
and that means that since there is no opposition, the communist party wins
every time. This shows a lack choice and a great amount of corruption, as the
officials have no reason to do their job because they will always get reelected.
If China would reform their constitution to allow a more varied political spectrum
then there would be more representation in the Government.
Nina Kaushikkar: Comparative Government: Corruption
Iran and Nigeria have the most corrupt governments, both in my own opinion, based on prior knowledge, and confirmed by the Corruptions Percentage Index 2015, with Iran ranked 130 and Nigeria 136 in terms of the level of corruption present based on the standards outlined by this organization.
There are a variety of similarities and differences between the Iranian and Nigerian governments. Both countries have similar procedures and methods by which they select their head of state (i.e. through direct popular elections, having multiple candidates, and creating fixed election cycles with two-term limits). However, when it comes to political parties, there are vast differences. In Iran, political parties were banned until 1998, and even the parties that exist now are, in reality, mere groups with similar political alignments. In contrast, Nigeria has numerous parties, defined by different factions (divided by ethnicity, religion, and so forth). Additional differences lie within their structures of leadership: Iran has a dual executive structure, wherein there is both a president and a Supreme Leader (who must be a direct descendant of Muhammad and primarily supervises politics to ensure conformity with Islamic law). Nigeria has no such system, which highlights a religious difference between the two countries as well, as Iran has elements of theocracy, that affect all citizens, whereas Nigeria, as a federal constitutional republic, does not. Despite authoritarian leadership, however, both Iran and Nigeria have strong civil societies and high participation. Another commonality can be found in the types of leaders both countries have historically possessed, as some major governmental leaders are military, and have obtained the position they hold through coups.
Nigeria specifically has a great deal of corruption due to both British colonialism (and the tumultuous aftermath) as well as greed coupled with a political environment that favors the wealthy. In regards to instability, the British, upon their departure, left Nigeria with little political support to assist them in the transition to independence. As various groups fought over power, and power vacuums emerged, corruption emerged in the country as a part of these conflicts, and remains to this day. Additionally, the political environment in Nigeria favors those with greater wealth. As a result, politicians, in order to maintain their power and to satisfy their greed for material wealth, will often take advantage of the system to gain more money. This is furthered by the surrounding cultural environment, where tribal relations and gift-giving can sometimes lead to corruption.
Two major causes of corruption in Iran consist of governmental involvement in the economy and private markets and its structure of civil society (and particularly the incorporation of strict religious tenets). The lack of transparency surrounding governmental financial transactions allows for corruption to exist, especially given ties to the private market, and more prominently, the oil industry. It has also been suggested that the overall size of the government budget relative to GDP may be positively correlated with corruption levels. Iran’s civil society may also be a cause - Iran has a very traditional society and culture, where clan and a sense of community plays a large role, and as a result, this makes the society vulnerable to manipulation and corruption.
Crackdowns on corruption are occurring in both countries, with Iran having slightly more success. However, as the rhetoric decrying corruption often lacks subsequent actions, there are a number of solutions that both countries can take to reducing it. Focusing on education is the first solution, because ensuring that school and university curricula are in line with modern societal developments help reinforce positive values for future generations. This shouldn’t be limited to formal schooling, however; education through religious and community-based institutions and increased political participation may help bridge the gap between the younger generations and current politicians. The second solution is in terms of increased transparency, particularly through freedom of the press, which is notably lacking in Iran, but also to an extent in Nigeria. Demanding accountability, and investing in resources for oversight and management, particularly when it comes to governmental spending, may serve as an effective means of combating corruption. The third way to reduce corruption is to amend international laws, as countries (such as Sweden) that seemingly have no internal corruption actually do encounter this problem in their overseas interactions. Establishing common global conventions, such as through the UN Convention Against Corruption, may be a step in the right direction to reduce international loopholes that increase corruption.
Comparative Government
Josh Rowzee
AP GOV
05/26/2016
I feel that North Korea and Afghanistan are the most corrupt government because the Koreans are
always trying to start a war with the South Koreans. North Korea's Leader has the government go under his wing no matter what it is. The government would kill their own people just because they don't follow their leaders rule or laws. Afghanistan is corrupt because people are taking money from the government and the president is just allowing it to happen. I feel that the people should start fighting the government even if they might die. Corruption exist because people just take stuff for greed because they feel that they don't have enough of something. Most of the corruption always involve the government because they always feel like they don't get enough.I feel that if people start executing the leaders maybe the government would change they might feel that the people aren't playing about what they believe in.
Emily Agnew- Comparative Government
Emily Agnew
AP U.S. Government & Politics
Ms. Gordon
May 26, 2016
Comparative Government Questions
I believe that the two most corrupt governments are Iran and China. Iran has a Supreme Leader, which means that one man has very extensive powers, such as being commander-in-chief and can dismiss almost any other authoritative appointments and can make almost any governmental decision. Therefore, the power is not of the people. When one single person controls everything and has extensive power, it can be very dangerous to a society. China is run by a communist government, even though they claim to be a "democracy". During elections, the outcome is always clear because there is constantly one one candidate. China also implements extreme censorship and prevents its people from seeing what the government does not want them to see. Both of these countries are extremely power hungry and will do anything to gain more power: which includes oppressing their own people. In order to improve both of these governments, more power needs to be given to the people, as well as more rights and freedoms.
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
Jay Moore - Comparative Govt
Based off of the information presented in the power point, I would say that the two most corrupt countries are China and Iran. China has the lowest GDP of all countries in the graph, mainly because of their population. But with the government system they have, it is incredibly hard to rise through social classes and exceed in life. This is because of communism. Communism takes away all independence and creates great deals of income inequality. A neurosurgeon should not be making the same amount of money as a McDonald's manager. Unfortunately, China’s government is shaped this way that prevents economic independence and promotes corruptibility and income inequality. Iran is also a corrupt nation. While they may have a multiparty political system, the power does not lie in the hands of the people. Government has all of the power and makes decisions without public approval. Without the connection between politicians and the public, decisions are made that doesn’t benefit anyone. This is why Iran has one of the lowest GDP’s and HDI’s. Countries like China and Iran need to have a much more transparent relationship with their citizens if they want to thrive. The lack of communication and cooperation are the main reasons these countries are among the most corrupt in the world.
Comparative Government-Alex Moore
Alex Moore
May 25th, 2016
Period 3
Comparative Government
- I think that a dictatorship and fascist government are the most corrupt. A dictatorship is a type of government where political authority is controlled by an individual or a political entity. Fascism is a government with the basis of a powerful leader.
- Fascism is based on three principles, glorification of the race, leadership principle, and the party. Hitler’s rule over the nazi party is an example of fascism. He and his fellow leaders had control over their people and were able to directly tell them what to do. A dictatorship is where one political entity has complete control over the people. They do anything to maintain their political power. An example of this type of government is North Korea. In North Korea, Kim-Jong Un. Fascism is corrupt because the leaders can make the people do whatever they say. With the Nazis, they convinced people that they were less than a human. A dictatorship is corrupt because one person has complete control over the people. The leader does not have to abide by any of the laws. If the leader is doing very negative things, nothing can be done to stop this leader. Fascism would be less corrupt if the people had more of a say. The people should be able to override the rule. A dictatorship would be less corrupt if the people could put a stop to the dictator. If the leader is being crazy, the people should be able to come together and get rid of them.
Comparative Government-Nadav Schoenberg
Nadav Schoenberg
Gordon 3
Comparative Government Response
May 26, 2016
1.
The two most corrupt governments in the world are China and Russia. Both countries have developed into world powers while oppressing their people. While Russia elects their ‘president’ , Vladimir Putin has developed into a dictator. Through striking fear in the people of Russia, Vladimir Putin continues to be re-elected. Vladimir Putin is oppressive leader. Putin has claimed that there are no gays in Russia. Anyone found to be gay is arrested. China, which also considers itself a democracy, is anything but that. During elections, there is consistently only one candidate on the ballot who continues to rule. The Chinese government oppresses their people through censorship. Withholding information from the people they claim to serve. Both countries have emerged as world leaders while they oppress their people.
2.
Both Russia and China consider themselves democracies. However, the rest of the world does not consider them to follow the democratic process. Russia and China both hold elections in order to determine their presidents.. The elections, however, are rigged. Year after year only one candidate is present on the ballot. These candidates are those who are elected year after year and use their power of the people of the election. These dictators turn democracies and dictatorships in which they hold all the power. However, due to the fact that they consider themselves as democracies, the world sees them as that. In order to make the government more transparent the world powers must intervene in order to expose this hoax and create an actual functioning democracy.
Monday, April 11, 2016
Quinn Tucker
AP Gov.
Ms. Gordon
The Hunting Grounds
1) There are so many studies out there about how common rape is for women and college campuses. The even sadder part about these studies is that the victim is at an even higher chance of the assault to happen again. Sexual assault is obviously about the sexual aspect but rape is about so much more than an uncontrollable sexual desire. Rape is more about defeating someone, humiliating them, and dominating them. It’s a power struggle. These men who are raping women on college campuses are filling some sick hole within them that’s lacking a sense of power and control. To feel powerful these men take advantage of women. It's not the college’s fault the rape is happening however it is the college's fault that this has become an uncontrolled issue. Colleges don’t support victims and don’t handle sexual assault cases at all that’s their issue. The fact the rapes are happening is from a serious issue with the rapist.
2) Legal remedies to prevent these rapes would be to somehow encourage victims to step forward. The laws need to change so that more victims win cases and make victims feel like they can actually win cases. The perception of rape needs to change just as much as the laws but that’s another issue. There also needs to be legal safeguards in place to take down frats that have a systemic issue with rape. The greek system has a powerful influence on money in colleges and in government but they are a major piece to the rape culture.
3) When the students try to enforce their rights they are interrogated and the blame of the rape is placed on them. The focus is on their clothes and how much they had to drink not on the rapist. Usually their cases are ignored and brushed off by administration. If their cases are taken on the punishment for the rapist is minor and insignificant. No true legal action is often taken. The victim pretty much has no rights.
4) Title IX is defined as “a clause in the 1972 Education Act stating that no one shall because of sex be denied the benefits of any educational program of activity that receives direct federal aid
.A Title IX complaint is a document that details the ways in which you believe your college has violated Title IX. Sex discrimination includes sexual harassment, sexual battery, sexual assault, and rape that are “so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive that it effectively bars the victim’s access to an educational opportunity or benefit.” Even a single instance of rape or sexual assault could meet this standard. Any student can file a complaint and the government is required to review it and they have been quite successful.
5) The colleges are mishandling these cases and we need to work to fix that but this is due to a much deeper societal issue. Women (not that men aren’t victims but I’m focusing on this right now) are seen as less than in our society in pretty much every way. The fact that regardless of alcohol men feel the urge to overtake these women is coming from a much deeper issue in our society. I think we really need to reconsider how we see men and women in our society and how we are raising our children if we want to solve this problem.
Hunting Ground | Malachi Clark
1. Sexual assault occurs on college campuses so often because of the lack of action that the universities take to prevent it. The negative stigma attached to being a victim leads to people not being open about what's happened to them and in turn offenders reoffend. The colleges hold full responsibility for this epidemic because of their lack of action and urgency.
2. Title IX
3. Colleges often try to knock them down to maintain the reputation of the institution, they often find no positive response anywhere and in turn feel unsafe.
4. Title IX speaks on having access to an equal educational space. Because of the fact that students are being targeted and not recieving help based on their position in this situation goes against Title IX.
5. Continue to take direct action against universities and also giving access to resources that victims can use.
2. Title IX
3. Colleges often try to knock them down to maintain the reputation of the institution, they often find no positive response anywhere and in turn feel unsafe.
4. Title IX speaks on having access to an equal educational space. Because of the fact that students are being targeted and not recieving help based on their position in this situation goes against Title IX.
5. Continue to take direct action against universities and also giving access to resources that victims can use.
Sunday, April 10, 2016
The Hunting Ground- Anne H
Anne Hruska
US Gov and Politics
Ms. Gordon
April 11, 2016
The Hunting Ground Response
1. There are a plethora of circumstances that contribute to campus sexual assault, which make it so prevalent in the university settings. The larger issue includes the monstrous industry that schools have become, manufacturing students and preparing them for the world; these institutions have reputations and names that are worth millions of dollars. And anything that threatens this reputation is immediately shut down. This has become a shield of protection for those students that leave home ready to lead their new independent lifestyle at the expense of others. When students come to a university they’re ready to experience new things, which they’ve been promised all their lives, this includes engaging in risque behavior like drinking, doing drugs, etc. However, when you’re in an environment that is essentially a closed-off community of kids ages 18-22 who are in this same mindset feeding off one another it becomes a flourishing space for danger. And Lastly, the coverage that the institution provides to these students only further supports rape culture on their campus.
2. In terms of what colleges will do legally to help their students; there is no legal assistance. In fact, schools have gone out of their way to cover up sexual assault allegations made by their students, multiple schools even telling the victims not to report their assault to the local police in fear of legal punishment being brought upon the institution which will in turn scorch the university's reputation. The only other legal option this leaves for most survivors is a civil lawsuit that a student could bring towards the campus or directly against their attacker. If the survivor wins the case they will typically be awarded a certain financial amount which is often no match to the emotional trauma of going through with a rape case.
3. As I’ve been saying throughout this response, the first reply that the university gives the victim is extremely defensive, immediately trying to protect the school’s image. Even when a student approached a faculty member of her institution to address her rape, the woman immediately questioned what the young girl had been wearing, if she was drinking, and then persisted with asking why she didn't try to fight him. This type of mindset is deeply rooted in the entire faculty’s system of “support” in many ways tells the perpetrators that their actions are alright. And because colleges and universities are as a whole meant to prepare students for the real world this blind eye that the schools are turning to this issue assures the young rapists that their actions will go unpunished in the outside world. A dangerous outlook for an 18-year-old to hold.
4. Title IX is a federal law which was instituted in order to prevent discrimination on the basis of sex in programs that have been federally funded, originally, it was meant to give young women equal opportunity in college sports. However, because of this general preface it also greatly ties into the idea of campus sexual assault. In this case, women who were sexually assaulted on campus tried to reach out for help and in turn, their rapist was protected by the university. This violates the rules of title nine under the pretense that their institution was a federally funded, and because administrators neglected to represent the girls on a basis of sex, it was a direct violation of Title 9 and federal funding could be revoked entirely from that institution. This was an incentive for all universities not only because they were now legally responsible for their negligence but they could also lose a substantial portion of their funding.
5. The main task that I see causing difficulty in changing campus rape culture is altering the huge money-making industry that has cloaked itself over universities and colleges. This is going to be extremely hard to do considering the money backing the names of these schools, and arguably even more powerful than that, the alumni of said institution. Once the reputations of colleges come second to actual statistics projected by them, I think it will be much easier to address sexual assault on campus. If it were federally required for all universities and colleges to investigate and report all allegations of rape then I think the college scene would appear a lot less foreboding in the long run considering that all future students can be sure that their voice will not be muddled by outrageous victim-blaming claims.
US Gov and Politics
Ms. Gordon
April 11, 2016
The Hunting Ground Response
1. There are a plethora of circumstances that contribute to campus sexual assault, which make it so prevalent in the university settings. The larger issue includes the monstrous industry that schools have become, manufacturing students and preparing them for the world; these institutions have reputations and names that are worth millions of dollars. And anything that threatens this reputation is immediately shut down. This has become a shield of protection for those students that leave home ready to lead their new independent lifestyle at the expense of others. When students come to a university they’re ready to experience new things, which they’ve been promised all their lives, this includes engaging in risque behavior like drinking, doing drugs, etc. However, when you’re in an environment that is essentially a closed-off community of kids ages 18-22 who are in this same mindset feeding off one another it becomes a flourishing space for danger. And Lastly, the coverage that the institution provides to these students only further supports rape culture on their campus.
2. In terms of what colleges will do legally to help their students; there is no legal assistance. In fact, schools have gone out of their way to cover up sexual assault allegations made by their students, multiple schools even telling the victims not to report their assault to the local police in fear of legal punishment being brought upon the institution which will in turn scorch the university's reputation. The only other legal option this leaves for most survivors is a civil lawsuit that a student could bring towards the campus or directly against their attacker. If the survivor wins the case they will typically be awarded a certain financial amount which is often no match to the emotional trauma of going through with a rape case.3. As I’ve been saying throughout this response, the first reply that the university gives the victim is extremely defensive, immediately trying to protect the school’s image. Even when a student approached a faculty member of her institution to address her rape, the woman immediately questioned what the young girl had been wearing, if she was drinking, and then persisted with asking why she didn't try to fight him. This type of mindset is deeply rooted in the entire faculty’s system of “support” in many ways tells the perpetrators that their actions are alright. And because colleges and universities are as a whole meant to prepare students for the real world this blind eye that the schools are turning to this issue assures the young rapists that their actions will go unpunished in the outside world. A dangerous outlook for an 18-year-old to hold.
4. Title IX is a federal law which was instituted in order to prevent discrimination on the basis of sex in programs that have been federally funded, originally, it was meant to give young women equal opportunity in college sports. However, because of this general preface it also greatly ties into the idea of campus sexual assault. In this case, women who were sexually assaulted on campus tried to reach out for help and in turn, their rapist was protected by the university. This violates the rules of title nine under the pretense that their institution was a federally funded, and because administrators neglected to represent the girls on a basis of sex, it was a direct violation of Title 9 and federal funding could be revoked entirely from that institution. This was an incentive for all universities not only because they were now legally responsible for their negligence but they could also lose a substantial portion of their funding.
5. The main task that I see causing difficulty in changing campus rape culture is altering the huge money-making industry that has cloaked itself over universities and colleges. This is going to be extremely hard to do considering the money backing the names of these schools, and arguably even more powerful than that, the alumni of said institution. Once the reputations of colleges come second to actual statistics projected by them, I think it will be much easier to address sexual assault on campus. If it were federally required for all universities and colleges to investigate and report all allegations of rape then I think the college scene would appear a lot less foreboding in the long run considering that all future students can be sure that their voice will not be muddled by outrageous victim-blaming claims.
The Hunting Ground
Josh Rowzee
04/11/16
AP US Gov
Mrs. Gordon
1. I feel that sexual assaults on colleges campus need to be fixed because it seems to people that's a problem that really isn't focused on. Also like if the college has an star athlete that is accused of rape it's going to take a lot of information for the college to actually to something. That's only once in a while because some of these colleges on championships.
2. I feel that If the actual real police would be included into sexual assaults instead of students going to the their school campuses they could possibly have an real arrest. Then if the campus and police go against the victim the school should have their Title IX tooken away. That reason is because they shouldn't have an rapist on campus and the victim be scared to go to school and still get money for that rapist to go to school.
3.Like if a student tries to tell the school about their sexual assault they act like they don't hear them and also act like they don't really care if they were sexually assaulted. They often the the victim that they will take care of it and don't really do anything about it. Also the school tries to questioned the victim like it was their fault. For Example they ask "How were you dress" "Did you pursue the person on" which is nonsense because what that person was you would you being saying the same thing. It doesn't matter what you were wearing a person has still been sexually assaulted.
4. Title IX is " No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in , be denied the benefits of , or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal Financial Assistance." Basically without Title IX students wouldn't have any opportunity to open up and nobody who works in administration in a college would really care. Then they would have to actually file an police reports. In the movie they realized that their Title IX rights were violated.
5.It would be kinda hard to change something like this because you would automatically think that people are rapist and that you really shouldn't trust anybody. But first is get some different type of law that makes colleges automatically turn in all sexual assaults cases to the police and make sure that the person who did it serves their time. Also if they don't do that take away their money for funding away until they fix this situations. Once all that starts maybe you see the slowness in sexual assaults.
Nina Kaushikkar: The Hunting Ground Response
Why is there so much sexual assault happening on college/university campuses? Does the college itself have anything to do with it?
There are a couple of reasons as to why sexual assault occurs on college/university campuses. The first is in terms of what type of personalities the perpetrators are. They are typically one of two types of people: either young, naive, and too drunk on freedom from their parents and home environments to carefully consider the consequences of their actions, or they are people with malicious intent, who intend to target and hurt others, and who view sexual assault as a conquest, and a measure of their masculinity. The second reason has to do with the environment and culture surrounding rape on these campuses, and it is through this reason that the college itself is part of the issue. Colleges help foster such a rape culture in two ways. First, they support the organizations that make it easier for sexual assault and rape to occur. Sports, particularly the college football industry, are a multi-million dollar business. Because of the massive amount of money between college sports programs and organizations such as television programs, endorsements, and so forth, college officials are incredibly hesistent to confirm anything that might besmirch the reputation of the university, and thus cut those monetary ties. The stars of the teams are often treated like celebrities, and an enormous amount of trust, power, and money is invested into them. As a result, this can sometimes be perceived as a warrant to act in unacceptable ways, including sexual assaulting others - and they are often able to get off scott-free. This is incredibly clear in the case of Jameis Winston, where, because of his status in the world of college football, he was able to virtually evade investigation. The second type of organization that colleges support are fraternities. It is often much easier for colleges to essentially outsource housing to fraternities, where there is a significant reduction in housing prices (for the colleges), as opposed to housing all of the students directly on the limited space that campuses host. On the flip side, the majority of sexual assault and rape cases in colleges occur at parties hosted at fraternity houses, where it is largely men that get to decide how much and what type of alcohol and drugs can be consumed at a party, making it easier for them to get women drunk or otherwise incapacitated, and thus making the women especially easier victims. Colleges can thus contribute to rape culture on campuses because they condone the activities that occur at these fraternities by evading responsibility. This leads to the second way in which they support rape culture, which is that they often shut down the outcries of the victims by turning a blind eye to the claims, by blaming the problem on them (through questions about what they were wearing and how they were acting), and by protecting the perpetrators, particularly if they hold a high social status. By creating an environment where victims feel unsafe or uncomfortable reporting, and, if they do report, they are shut down, the reputation of the college is protected, which is viewed as the primary goal.
What legal remedies are available to address college campus sexual assault?
There are couple of legal remedies available to address college campus sexual assault. In terms of preempting sexual assault and rape, one form of legal action that colleges can take is enforcing stricter rules relating to sexual assault - and abiding by those rules, creating a safer reporting environment and taking a more active role in helping prosecute the perpetrator. Directly after an attack, a victim can report the incident to either the school (in the form of an administrator or counselor) or the police (whether they be on or off campus). Reporting, though, tends to be in vain, as the school rarely takes these “allegations” seriously, regardless of the amount of evidence provided. The most common way of dealing with sexual assault after the fact is through a civil lawsuit, typically filed by an individual victim against their assailant(s), but in other cases, by a victim against the institution for their inability to effectively address the issue. However, in many cases, it is difficult for a young college student to have access to a very high quality lawyer, and even if they do, the case often gets thrown out very quickly. However, it is my belief that the most powerful way to address the issue is through a class-action suit against the colleges and universities for their lack of action in addressing the issue. The second means of legal recourse can be in the form of a monetary settlement that helps take care of the victim’s medical (including psychological) expenses and treatment following the rape.
What happens to students when they try to enforce their rights?
Given that very few people on college campuses (administrators and students both) support students that exercise their rights in these situations, there are a few types of backlash that occur when a student tries to enforce their rights. The first is questioning the validity of the victim’s story, a campaign led largely by administrators but fueled by students (and others outside the campus) as well. This can be based on the status of the alleged perpetrator as well, but even regardless of that, it is often assumed that incidents of sexual assault are false, or “allegations” or ‘claims”, even though less than 5%, if that, of incidents of sexual assault or rape are false reports. Even if the report is believable, if the student decides to report the incident - or even dares to pursue further action against either the perpetrator or the school - then they are met with a whole host of hatred, accusation, ignorance, and threats. They are discouraged by administrators from reporting or pursuing legal action, due to the fear that it will tarnish the reputation of the university, or they are treated with hatred by their peers, who think they might be trying to get more attention (or for similar reasons). In many cases, the assailants are supported by both students and faculty more than the victim.
What is Title IX and how does it apply to the issue of sexual assault on campus?
Title IX states that “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance”.
This applies to the issue of sexual assault in a couple of ways. First, it is important to note that Title IX is incredibly ambiguous. Historically, its major application has been relative to sports programs, and eliminating gender discrimination in that field. However, while that is a topic in which it is easy to identify how sex bars participation in certain activities, sexual assault does not have a clear distinction. This is for two reasons. First, it ignores the many male victims of sexual assault when the problem becomes solely about male-on-female violence. Here, it becomes difficult to see how this is discrimination purely based on sex as opposed to the issue of violence in general. Second, on a more technical point, it is easy for the colleges to avoid the issue by saying that it is not discrimination based on sex, but instead has to do with a lack of resources, or even claim that the problem doesn’t even exist.
That being said, it is easy to see that the majority of sexual assault and rape victims are girls and women, and from there, it is not difficult to use Title IX violations as a reason for colleges to take more action to prevent the action. It is important to look at the way in which colleges shut down girls, and more often slut-shame/victim-blame women as opposed to men. The thing about rape culture is that it discriminates more against women, and targets females by not validating their claims and blaming them for the issue while at the same time, due to the patriarchal nature of our society, takes the side of the boys. Title IX thus applies here, because the significant disparity in the amount of action and resources that the school takes and provides is based on gender discrimination, because the way the victim is treated in the aftermath does largely depend on their gender.
What would you do to change the culture?
While rape culture is so deeply engrained in the very structure of our daily lives that complete reversal is practically impossible, we can start encouraging and facilitating more discussion about sexual assault on college campuses, or even about rape in general. In order for there to be action, people need to become comfortable talking about it, and the taboo surrounding this issue needs to be removed. Part of that conversation needs to be about respecting women’s bodies, and what further individual and institutional action needs to be taken to support that, whether that be in the form of action against catcalling and other daily types of sexual harassment or action against dress codes implemented on the basis of certain clothes being a distraction to boys (because if a boy is distracted if a girl shows her shoulder, or wears a pair of shorts that exposes more than the lower half of her leg, then there are bigger problems to worry about than the amount of fabric the girl wears). Small actions, such as trying to stop jokes and lighthearted discussion about rape and sexual assault, will also go a long way in reducing the effect of rape culture, by trying to eliminate the notion that it is not a serious matter. Another part of that conversation needs to be about stopping the ridiculous amount of victim blaming that occurs, which creates an unsafe and uncomfortable environment for victims to report and seek help in. Furthermore, that discussion needs to talk about better means of legal recourse for victims, if we really want to start taking the issue seriously.
There are a couple of reasons as to why sexual assault occurs on college/university campuses. The first is in terms of what type of personalities the perpetrators are. They are typically one of two types of people: either young, naive, and too drunk on freedom from their parents and home environments to carefully consider the consequences of their actions, or they are people with malicious intent, who intend to target and hurt others, and who view sexual assault as a conquest, and a measure of their masculinity. The second reason has to do with the environment and culture surrounding rape on these campuses, and it is through this reason that the college itself is part of the issue. Colleges help foster such a rape culture in two ways. First, they support the organizations that make it easier for sexual assault and rape to occur. Sports, particularly the college football industry, are a multi-million dollar business. Because of the massive amount of money between college sports programs and organizations such as television programs, endorsements, and so forth, college officials are incredibly hesistent to confirm anything that might besmirch the reputation of the university, and thus cut those monetary ties. The stars of the teams are often treated like celebrities, and an enormous amount of trust, power, and money is invested into them. As a result, this can sometimes be perceived as a warrant to act in unacceptable ways, including sexual assaulting others - and they are often able to get off scott-free. This is incredibly clear in the case of Jameis Winston, where, because of his status in the world of college football, he was able to virtually evade investigation. The second type of organization that colleges support are fraternities. It is often much easier for colleges to essentially outsource housing to fraternities, where there is a significant reduction in housing prices (for the colleges), as opposed to housing all of the students directly on the limited space that campuses host. On the flip side, the majority of sexual assault and rape cases in colleges occur at parties hosted at fraternity houses, where it is largely men that get to decide how much and what type of alcohol and drugs can be consumed at a party, making it easier for them to get women drunk or otherwise incapacitated, and thus making the women especially easier victims. Colleges can thus contribute to rape culture on campuses because they condone the activities that occur at these fraternities by evading responsibility. This leads to the second way in which they support rape culture, which is that they often shut down the outcries of the victims by turning a blind eye to the claims, by blaming the problem on them (through questions about what they were wearing and how they were acting), and by protecting the perpetrators, particularly if they hold a high social status. By creating an environment where victims feel unsafe or uncomfortable reporting, and, if they do report, they are shut down, the reputation of the college is protected, which is viewed as the primary goal.
What legal remedies are available to address college campus sexual assault?
There are couple of legal remedies available to address college campus sexual assault. In terms of preempting sexual assault and rape, one form of legal action that colleges can take is enforcing stricter rules relating to sexual assault - and abiding by those rules, creating a safer reporting environment and taking a more active role in helping prosecute the perpetrator. Directly after an attack, a victim can report the incident to either the school (in the form of an administrator or counselor) or the police (whether they be on or off campus). Reporting, though, tends to be in vain, as the school rarely takes these “allegations” seriously, regardless of the amount of evidence provided. The most common way of dealing with sexual assault after the fact is through a civil lawsuit, typically filed by an individual victim against their assailant(s), but in other cases, by a victim against the institution for their inability to effectively address the issue. However, in many cases, it is difficult for a young college student to have access to a very high quality lawyer, and even if they do, the case often gets thrown out very quickly. However, it is my belief that the most powerful way to address the issue is through a class-action suit against the colleges and universities for their lack of action in addressing the issue. The second means of legal recourse can be in the form of a monetary settlement that helps take care of the victim’s medical (including psychological) expenses and treatment following the rape.
What happens to students when they try to enforce their rights?
Given that very few people on college campuses (administrators and students both) support students that exercise their rights in these situations, there are a few types of backlash that occur when a student tries to enforce their rights. The first is questioning the validity of the victim’s story, a campaign led largely by administrators but fueled by students (and others outside the campus) as well. This can be based on the status of the alleged perpetrator as well, but even regardless of that, it is often assumed that incidents of sexual assault are false, or “allegations” or ‘claims”, even though less than 5%, if that, of incidents of sexual assault or rape are false reports. Even if the report is believable, if the student decides to report the incident - or even dares to pursue further action against either the perpetrator or the school - then they are met with a whole host of hatred, accusation, ignorance, and threats. They are discouraged by administrators from reporting or pursuing legal action, due to the fear that it will tarnish the reputation of the university, or they are treated with hatred by their peers, who think they might be trying to get more attention (or for similar reasons). In many cases, the assailants are supported by both students and faculty more than the victim.
What is Title IX and how does it apply to the issue of sexual assault on campus?
Title IX states that “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance”.
This applies to the issue of sexual assault in a couple of ways. First, it is important to note that Title IX is incredibly ambiguous. Historically, its major application has been relative to sports programs, and eliminating gender discrimination in that field. However, while that is a topic in which it is easy to identify how sex bars participation in certain activities, sexual assault does not have a clear distinction. This is for two reasons. First, it ignores the many male victims of sexual assault when the problem becomes solely about male-on-female violence. Here, it becomes difficult to see how this is discrimination purely based on sex as opposed to the issue of violence in general. Second, on a more technical point, it is easy for the colleges to avoid the issue by saying that it is not discrimination based on sex, but instead has to do with a lack of resources, or even claim that the problem doesn’t even exist.
That being said, it is easy to see that the majority of sexual assault and rape victims are girls and women, and from there, it is not difficult to use Title IX violations as a reason for colleges to take more action to prevent the action. It is important to look at the way in which colleges shut down girls, and more often slut-shame/victim-blame women as opposed to men. The thing about rape culture is that it discriminates more against women, and targets females by not validating their claims and blaming them for the issue while at the same time, due to the patriarchal nature of our society, takes the side of the boys. Title IX thus applies here, because the significant disparity in the amount of action and resources that the school takes and provides is based on gender discrimination, because the way the victim is treated in the aftermath does largely depend on their gender.
What would you do to change the culture?
While rape culture is so deeply engrained in the very structure of our daily lives that complete reversal is practically impossible, we can start encouraging and facilitating more discussion about sexual assault on college campuses, or even about rape in general. In order for there to be action, people need to become comfortable talking about it, and the taboo surrounding this issue needs to be removed. Part of that conversation needs to be about respecting women’s bodies, and what further individual and institutional action needs to be taken to support that, whether that be in the form of action against catcalling and other daily types of sexual harassment or action against dress codes implemented on the basis of certain clothes being a distraction to boys (because if a boy is distracted if a girl shows her shoulder, or wears a pair of shorts that exposes more than the lower half of her leg, then there are bigger problems to worry about than the amount of fabric the girl wears). Small actions, such as trying to stop jokes and lighthearted discussion about rape and sexual assault, will also go a long way in reducing the effect of rape culture, by trying to eliminate the notion that it is not a serious matter. Another part of that conversation needs to be about stopping the ridiculous amount of victim blaming that occurs, which creates an unsafe and uncomfortable environment for victims to report and seek help in. Furthermore, that discussion needs to talk about better means of legal recourse for victims, if we really want to start taking the issue seriously.
The Hunting Ground Emily Agnew
Emily Agnew
AP U.S. Government & Politics
Ms. Gordon
April 10, 2016
The Hunting Ground Questions
- I believe that there are many triggers to sexual assault on college/university campuses. A main factor is drug and alcohol consumption. College is a place away from parental supervision, so many students take advantage of that and go all out at parties and other social gatherings. When this happens, men become very inclined to take advantage of women under the influence, which leads to sexual assault and rape. I do believe that colleges have to do with this because over time, perpetrators have learned that they can get away with sexually assaulting other students because colleges choose to turn their heads for the sake of the school’s reputation. Also, colleges support fraternities to a very large extent, which is one of the number one places sexual assaults occur.
- Unfortunately, it’s not as easy for justice to be brought to victims as many people probably assume. Universities usually care more about the school’s reputation and statistics than the actual victims. Every student is entitled to Title IX and should advocate if the university fails to bring justice to the case. Perpetrators should be permanently expelled from the institution, as well as be charged and face punishment. Also, they should be recorded on the sex offender permanent record.
- So many students that tried to advocate for themselves and others were harshly put down and shamed. Many girls who came forward were slut-shamed on social media, as well as given death threats. In the Jameis Winston case, his victim was heavily targeted on social media, which caused her to drop out of FSU. When victims build up the strength to come forward and tell an administrator about their experiences, they are constantly asked questions such as “what were you wearing?” Or “how drunk were you?” Many victims are also accused of lying .
- Title IX is an Educational Amendment that was ratified in 1972 that withholds any federal funding to schools and other educational programs that discriminate solely based on gender. Sexual assault ties to Title IX because when victims come forward and tell the schools that they have been sexually assaulted, the school MUST provide a safe and fair environment that brings justice to the victim. If the school fails to meet these requirements, they are violating Title IX by discriminating against the victim, and will be denied funding.
- I think these colleges and universities need to be held more accountable and be put under close watch so they can’t just keep sweeping these cases under the rug. Also, there must be some sort of sexual assault awareness programs implemented at every college to bring awareness to all students on why sexual assault is wrong, what it is, and what can be done to stop it.
Saturday, April 9, 2016
Kenneth Martin Hunting Ground Response
Kenneth Martin
AP US Government & Politics, Period 3
Mrs. Gordon
April 9, 2016
The Hunting Ground Blog Response
- I think that there’s so much on-campus sexual assault because young men move away from their parents and hometowns and think they can do whatever they want. I think that this is encouraged by their peers and the college administration.
- Sexual assault should be reported to the college and the police. The college should permanently expel the student who did it and the police should arrest and charge them. The victim should be supported and be offered counseling and other services. If the college does not sufficiently support the victim, the Department of Education should withhold Title IX funding.
- The college often tries to blame the victim for their assault and when the victim speaks up they deny any wrongdoing on their part and sometimes retaliate against the victim.
- Title IX is a part of the Education Amendments of 1972 that denies federal funding to educational programs that are found to discriminate against people based on gender. Advocates for victims of on-campus sexual assault argue that when schools don’t appropriately address claims of sexual assault, they are discriminating against the victim by making them feel inadequate and unsafe on campus. Because of this, those colleges should be denied Title IX funding.
- It would be very hard to change this culture. I think that it’s important to educate young men about sexual assault so that they don’t commit it. However, I think there’s always going to be young men who don’t care about what’s right and wrong even if they’ve been taught properly. That’s why colleges have to be very serious about claims of sexual assault so that students know that they will be harshly punished if they assault someone.
Friday, April 8, 2016
Charlie Maxwell Hunting Ground Post
Charlie Maxwell
AP US Government, Period 3
Ms. Gordon
4/10/16
The Hunting Ground Blog Post
- According to the film, sexual assault on college campuses is made almost entirely possible by alcohol consumption. Male students use this drug to take advantage of women at various social events. It has become so common, in my opinion, for two reasons. First, fraternities have grown immensely in size and influence, and they are one of the main locations of sexual assault. Second, assailants have very rarely been punished when compared to the number of incidents there actually were. If people are getting away with sexual assault with very little or no punishment, then the incentive not to commit such a crime decreases.
- Legally, victims of sexual assault on college campuses are in a very tricky spot. Administrators at universities may want to seek justice for the victims, but their number one responsibility lies with the school--they must protect the school first. This is incredibly unethical and leads to the feelings of helplessness often felt by victims of sexual assault on college campuses. In the Jameis Winston case, for example, the victim sought attention from both the Tallahassee police and the support system created for these situations at her school. Neither institution made an effort toward justice.
- When students try to enforce their rights, they are treated with hatred, accusations, and ignorance. Jameis Winston’s accuser, as an example once again, was essentially forced to leave Tallahassee because of the treatment she received from fellow students. The victims of sexual assault on college campuses are often questioned for the validity of their stories. Being under the influence of alcohol often distorts perception, and universities and students often make this claim about their peers who claim to be victims of such crimes.
- Title IX states that no person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance. Title IX relates to this issue because of the threat to safety caused by sexual assault. If female students feel unsafe in their learning environment, then they are unable to access the benefits of the education programs they are in. Furthermore, female students who seek refuge after their assault are often turned away without any assistance. In the film, female students repeatedly said that their was more support in place for the accused assailants (almost always men) then there was for the victims (almost always women).
In order to change this culture, I would start by altering the priorities of university administrators--by either getting rid of current administrators who have let this slide, or by making sure each of them knows that justice comes first, school second. Personally, one small thing I can do that might make an impact on those closest to me, is discourage my friends and peers from ever making jokes about rape or sexual assault. If I hear someone make this type of joke, I can explain to them how serious the issue is and hopefully illuminate the fact that sexual assault, especially on college campuses, is no joking matter.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)