Sonika Kohli, head chair of the Schreyer Gender Equity Coalition, said that those weren’t the only findings in the survey.

“It basically found that one in three people don’t trust the university with handling cases of sexual assault or violence. And then one of the questions, which asks, ‘What is one of the barriers of not reporting?’ — one of the biggest percentages for that question was students don’t feel like their case would be given justice if they reported it, kind of like what’s the point?” said Kohli.

This is not just a Penn State issue.

According to USNews.com, schools in Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Alabama, Michigan, Massachusetts and Missouri have seen large numbers of protests against sexual violence protest. According to The Boston Globe, students at UMass Amherst protested that the school did not do enough to address sexual assault on campus.

In a nationwide study done by Rainn, the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization, 13% of all students experience rape or sexual assault through physical force, violence or incapacitation. Among graduate and professional students, 9.7% of all females and 2.5% of males experience rape or sexual assault through physical force, violence or incapacitation. Among undergraduate students, 26.4% of females and 6.8% of males experience rape or sexual assault through physical force, violence, or incapacitation. And 5.8% of students have experienced stalking since entering college. Only 20% of female students report sexual assaults to law enforcement.

Sexual violence is more prevalent on college campuses than other crimes, according to Rainn, and college women are twice as likely to be sexually assaulted than robbed.

Rainn found that sexual violence is more likely to occur at the beginning of the school year. Mid-August to November is what some refer to as the “red zone” — when more than 50% of campus sexual assaults occur, Rainn reported, possibly because of returning-to-campus parties, Greek life rush and when a lot of new students enter the campus culture.

Many universities have resources and offices available to students who have experienced sexual violence or misconduct. Schools must also adhere to Title IX regulations, which require them to respond and remedy hostile educational environments and protect people from gender-based discrimination.

Sheila Calkins, the Title IX Director at Suffolk University, discussed some of the protections that are offered through to students through Title IX.

“They have the right to go to the local police department, they have a right to file a formal complaint, they have a right to request an informal resolution, they have the right to cooperate or not, they have a right to an adviser. Those are all things that the Title IX coordinator makes sure are in place and provided to anyone who steps through the door of the office of Title IX,” she said.

Calkins also said that universities have important obligations regarding Title IX.

“I can tell you that if colleges and universities follow the regulations and make sure that they have an office of Title IX and Title IX coordinator who’s fair and equitable, resources are available on and off campus, and they conduct investigations that are fair and equitable, then a university or college will be meeting their obligations and their legal requirements under the law,” said Calkins.

However, an experience with sexual violence or misconduct can influence student’s day-to-day lives and linger far longer than the original encounter, said Teresa Fisher, a licensed psychologist and Suffolk University’s Title IX confidential resource.

“Often, it’s totally normal for folks not to be able to focus, not to be able to sleep well or eat well; daily functioning is really impacted on,” Fisher said. “We’re often encouraging students to connect with the Dean of Students Office, or the Title IX office get some support.”

So, this now begs the question: What can be done to put an end to it?

“I think student leaders have a big role in educating themselves,” said Kohli. “I think institutions with privileges like frats and other groups that have historically gotten away with sexual violence and assault and have had no consequences have personal responsibility to making lasting change. I think, at least at Penn State, it’s been really cool to see a lot of people talking about this issue.”

It is clear that there is no one fix for this issue that has become so prevalent in today’s society and campus culture. However, the first few steps could be spreading awareness, speaking up when friends or colleagues say degrading comments, holding conferences, and. like the Schreyer Gender Equity Coalition, pushing to get legislation passed and results released.

Conclusion/Reflection

This was a really difficult project for me from the beginning. I was nervous about how I would address such a delicate issue, and something that really seem to grab the attention of a lot of people this year. When I started my research and began reaching out to advocacy groups and putting out posts on Twitter and Facebook, I was met with zero responses. I expected this, but from there I wasn’t sure what I was going to base my story about.

Through my research, I found an article referencing a name that I recognized. I reached out to the source, and she was very excited and willing to tell me her story about her advocacy group and their work on campus. I was surprised to find that results from a 2018 survey had not surfaced until 2021, especially with an issue that is so concerning.
I found this connected to Jodio Kantor and Megan Twohey’s “She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement” in a way that surprised me. “She said” surrounds the story of women who were taken advantage of and silenced by a man in power, film producer Harvey Weinstein. And he used this power to get away with his crimes for so long. However, this story was about power that was not being used.
While I feel for all universities that struggle through the limitation of the pandemic, when you are in a position of power you have a responsibility to make issues like sexual violence on your campus a priority. I think the story was also about how the Penn State students shifted the role of power by banding together and speaking up to get their voices heard and the survey released.