Rape: What do I Need to Know About Rape on Campus?

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The question above may not appear to relate to an actual decision. But it does: It relates to a decision to stick your head in the sand about a critical issue, or to become informed and possibly head off such an attack, either on yourself or involving someone you know.

Perhaps the most important thing to know about campus rape is that it happens. It happens to regular college students who think they're safe when they end up in the wrong circumstances with the wrong person. And the rapists are often students who would otherwise be considered trustworthy.

The term "date rape" is often applied to these attacks, because the victim is highly likely to know her assailant. But the term is a misnomer. The "rape" part is right. The "date" part isn't. It's not something that typically follows a dinner-and-a-movie date. It's much more likely to happen when a group of people are consuming alcohol or drugs, and two people"who may have only gotten to know each other that evening"pair off.

Only when they're in a bedroom together might things start to go gravely wrong. It comes down to consent. The woman, who typically has a significantly lower tolerance for alcohol and drugs than a man, might become incoherent or otherwise incapacitated, even if she doesn't totally pass out. In short, she cannot decide for herself whether to have sex. The issue of consent is central"that woman is no different in the eyes of the law than an 8-year-old child or a comatose patient, both of whom cannot under any circumstances be considered to consent to sexual contact. If the man proceeds to have sex with her, it's not enough that she didn't say "no." Since she physically lacked the ability to consent, it's a clear case of rape.

"It is very important for women who are entering college to be aware of the risks in being taken advantage of or raped while you or he is under the influence," says Catherine Bell (University of Kansas), who points out that college women are vulnerable in large part due to the prevalence of heavy drinking on campus.

Statistics show that rape is a serious issue on college campuses.

Between one-fifth and one-quarter of college women who attend school for five years will either be raped or be the target of an attempted rape, according to "The Sexual Victimization of College Women," a 2000 research report prepared for the U.S. Department of Justice by Bonnie S. Fisher, Francis T. Cullen, and Michael G. Turner. Most cases occur, they report, when college women are alone with a man they know, at night, in a residence such as a dorm room. They also found that "frequently drinking enough to get drunk" was a consistent trait of the sexual assault victims.

"The Sexual Victimization of College Women" researchers interviewed more than 4,000 female college students and asked them about their experiences during the current school year. They found that 2.8 percent had experienced either a completed rape (1.7 percent) or an attempted rape (1.1 percent) since the beginning of the school year, which worked out to an average period of 6.91 months (depending on when they actually took the survey). The 2.8 percent victimization figure over nearly seven months was then projected to a full-year rate of 4.9 percent. To arrive at their final figures, researchers then took this rate and multiplied it by the typical number of years it takes students to complete school"four or five.

 The statistics may not be perfect, the authors say. When the full-year rates were projected forward for the "college career" rate, for example, they didn't take into account the conditions students face during the summer, when they're usually not at school. And, of course, some students take more, or less, time to graduate. Regardless, "The Sexual Victimization of College Women" clearly shows that sexual assault on campus is not a rare, isolated problem.

The research also points out that most victims know their attackers. "For both completed and attempted rapes, about 9 in 10 offenders were known to the victim," the report states. "Most often, a boyfriend, ex-boyfriend, classmate, friend, acquaintance, or co-worker sexually victimized the women. College professors were not identified as committing any rapes or sexual coercions, but they were cited as the offender in a low percentage of cases involving unwanted sexual contact."

Samantha Del Priore (Seton Hall University) says she's mindful that sexual assault can happen. "It's not something that you just hear about," says Samantha, whose quote at the very top of this chapter shows how seriously she takes the matter. When your mom tells you not to leave your drink somewhere at a party and then come back to it, she's right. I haven't had any experiences with it, but I do know that it happens and you have to be very careful."

She and her friends look out for each other whenever they go to parties. "We never leave someone there alone," she says. "We all bring our cellphones just in case."

Lindsay Haymes (Southwest Missouri State University) also urges caution when going out. "Drinking and hanging out with men you don't know isn't really safe, because you could be taken advantage of," says Lindsay.

Stalking is another campus crime that both genders need to be aware of. More than 13 percent of participants in "The Sexual Victimization of College Women" study reported being stalked since the start of the school year (again, an average of about 6.91 months, based on when the survey was taken). The incidents most frequently included the victims being telephoned (77.7 percent), having an offender waiting outside or inside places (47.9 percent), being watched from afar (44 percent), being followed (42 percent), being sent letters (30.7 percent), and being e-mailed (24.7 percent). Almost two-thirds said they were stalked at least two to six times a week. The stalkers were most frequently a boyfriend or ex-boyfriend (42.5 percent), classmate (24.5 percent), acquaintance (10.3 percent), friend (5.6 percent), or co-worker (5.6 percent), the study states.

The study's authors note that their definition of stalking is broader than that of many state statutes, which require a stated threat of physical harm. Using that definition, 1.96 percent of the sample would be considered stalking victims.