Hunting Ground Blog Post Vivi

Vivi 

1. Why is there so much sexual assault happening on college or university campuses? Does the college itself have anything to do with it?

This is a really thought provoking question because it is a hard thing to explain. The reason that so much sexual assault is happening in these specific environments is due to a variety of factors. The first factor is that the perpetrators are young, naive, and a danger to themselves/others. They experiment with things, and most of those things are bad (drugs, alcohol, violence, assault etc). The second factor that plays into this is the idea that there is a culture around rape/sexual assault especially on college campuses that literally protects the person who has committed the crime more than the victim themselves. Colleges and universities in the united states have proven themselves time after time to turn a blind eye in order to maintain a high reputation rather than get justice for the victim. My opinion is that the college itself has virtually nothing to do with it because the problem of rape on college campuses is a reoccurring one in many different places that have nothing in common other than the fact that they are a university. 

2. What legal remedies are available to address college campus sexual assault? 

Civil lawsuits based on rapes is the most common legal remedy to address campus sexual assault. There is also financial compensation which can cover therapy or medical expenses that were a direct result of the assault. I personally do not think that the financial aspect helps victims at all because most of the damage that is inflicted during a sexual assault is mental. Yes it would help with therapy but most victims do not want money from their assailant- they want justice, and rightfully so considering how traumatizing an experience it is. I personally wish that there was more that could be done in the legal standpoint but the only thing that can be done is  file a lawsuit and see how far that goes, and more often than not the case even gets thrown out before it even gets read by a legitimate legal figure. 

3. What happens to students when they try to enforce their rights?

When students try to enforce their rights in a rape/sexual assault case on their campus, there is complete and utter backlash from the institution itself. A student will try and report (exercising their rights) and first, get victim blamed to the point where they might even convince themselves that it is their fault that they themselves got attacked. Then, a dean or a student advisor will tell them what it is they did wrong and what they can do differently in the future, and send the victim on his/her way. By doing this, institutions protect those assailants and disregard the victims and the cycle begins all over again, and leaves a  false pristine image for the university or college. 

4. What is title 9 and how does it apply to the issue of sexual assault on campus?

Title 9 is one of the most important legal bases of the United States Department of Education. It directly says “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 9 is the whole reason that the two main characters in the hunting ground could get their case off the ground by claiming a title 9 violation against the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill, claiming that by being idle after reporting these attacks, it was inflicting upon their ability to get an education in a safe environment. Title 9 is the basis that everyone regardless of sex gets the same education IF it is federally funded, and by leaving the man that assaulted Anne on campus, it is inflicting upon her ability to get the same education as her assailant. The Title 9 complaint created a movement across the United States in colleges and universities in order to get them to actually get them to do something about their attacks. 

5. What would you do to change the culture? 

Rape culture is one that has been implemented long ago so reversing it deems itself nearly impossible. However, there is a way to start small. First, schools need to stop shying away at the subject as if it is taboo. It is not taboo and it happens every day and by educating young people it might lessen their chances of being an assailant. Schools also need to stop treating a woman’s body as a sexual object. Girls in public school are virtually banned from showing any skin because they claim that “it might distract the boys from learning”. My shoulder should not “distract” your student, and if it does, that individual has his own problems to figure out. Starting a conversation about assault and rape is the first step that can be taken in order to irrationalize rape culture, and we sure have a long way to go.