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.

The Hunting Ground Emily Agnew

Emily Agnew

AP U.S. Government & Politics

Ms. Gordon

April 10, 2016

The Hunting Ground Questions

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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 .
4. 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.
5. 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.

Kenneth Martin Hunting Ground Response

Kenneth Martin

AP US Government & Politics, Period 3

Mrs. Gordon

April 9, 2016

The Hunting Ground Blog Response

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.

Charlie Maxwell Hunting Ground Post

Charlie Maxwell

AP US Government, Period 3

Ms. Gordon

4/10/16

The Hunting Ground Blog Post

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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).
5. 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.

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. 

Karin Komiyama
AP Gov
Period 3

The Hunting Ground

1. Sexual assault is so prevalent on college campuses because the school officials take no action against suspects. They protect their institution only, so victims have nowhere to fall back on for support. This creates an easy hunting ground for the rapists. Freshmen are especially vulnerable to sexual assault, and frat parties are one of the easiest places for assault to occur (alcohol flowing, drugs, etc).

2. Colleges are federally required to report all incidents of sexual assault on their campuses. However, the school officials (deans, professors, vice president, etc) usually sweep the claims under the rug to keep their crime stats low. Campus police hold the power in handling the case alongside the school. Title IX is available to students, but colleges completely disregard this right and often times retaliate against the victims that filed the claim.

3. When students try to enforce their rights, they get harassed. Like a survivor said in the video, her dorm room was broken into and vandalized. The school punishes them, or protects their attackers by enforcing no punishment. Also, the school could file suit against the survivors as retaliation.

4. Title IX is a gender equality law. It prohibits discrimination based on gender on all school based activities the receives federal funding . When women and men are sexually assaulted on campus and the school obtains knowledge of it,  the school is legally obligated to take actions, and it is unlawful for them to retaliate against the victims that filed the law suit. Not many sexual assault cases (especially from the video) followed Title IX.

5. I would organize a sexual assault survivors group. We would gather rallies weekly in front of frat houses or alleged suspect's home.

The Hunting Ground-Alex Moore

 Alex Moore

April 6th, 2016

Period 3

The Hunting Ground Blog Post

1. There is so much sexual assault happening on college/university campuses because universities have huge populations of students, some who are ruthless and vile human beings and others who are young,vulnerable, innocent students. Most sexual assaults happen at parties or in party atmospheres and that is the type of atmosphere most colleges have. Most assaults also take place when alcohol is involved. Assaulters take advantage of these situations and is absolutely awful.The college is supposed to provide safety when a child is at school. Colleges with very tight security might have less attacks. It is up to the University to provide a safe environment for their students to live in.
2. Assaulters can and should be arrested, but more often than not, they are let go. Assaulters who are in prison are sentenced to an average of 11 years, but often only serve half of their term. Universities have the ability to expel their students, but the majority of the time they choose not to because they want their tuition money. The girls in The Hunting Ground are working to file title nine lawsuits against universities because they are not being provided an equal safe learning environment.
3. When students try to enforce their rights while being assaulted, they are completely ignored. The attacker does not care at all what the victim has to say. The victims rights are completely taken from them. When the victim tries to enforce their rights when reporting an assault, they are often ignored. Universities do not want to report that an attack that took place on campus because then it would be public record and then they would lose future applicants because who would want to go to a school where many sexual assaults happen. No person should ever have their rights taken from them like this. Everyone should have the right to feel safe in the environment that they are in and it is a major problem that this is not the case. This needs to be fixed immediately, assaults need to stop.
4. 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”. What this means is that places that receive funds from the government, like universities and colleges, cannot be denied an equal opportunity at a program based on their gender. This directly relates to sexual assault on college campuses because girls and boys who are sexually assualted on campuses are not being provided an equal safe chance at schooling like others on campus are receiving. Someone who was attacked was not being protected equally and now cannot have an equal college experience. They, in most cases, have to go to school with their attackers. Some live in constant fear of another attack. Because these schools receive funds from the government, everyone should be able to have the same college experience.
5. It’s up to us to change the rape culture. We are the ones who need to stop it and make sure that future generations do not commit this awful offense. For starters, everyone needs to be on the same page that rape cannot be taking place. This is so wrong on so many levels, nothing is worth harming another person in this manner.It is so disgusting and heinous that people do this. Nobody should ever have to be a victim. We need to raise awareness about the issue. If we witness or hear about an assault taking place, we have to stop it. If we do not intervene, then that just creates another innocent victim and the assaulter will get away with it and think that it is ok. We need to stop blaming the victims. No matter what the victim was wearing, how much they had to drink, or how much they seemed interested, it is not the victims fault. They did not welcome the attack in any manner. If we continue to blame the victims, society as a whole will not see that the attackers are to blame. There MUST be better laws and consequences in place for rapists. They CANNOT continue to get away with this. They need to be imprisoned for a long period of time for this offense. If I had any say, it would be for life. Once people start being held accountable, we stop blaming the victims, and we take a stand, we can drastically change the rape epidemic.