Sexual Assault Awareness Month wrapped up last week. It’s such a terrible term, “sexual assault.” People don’t like thinking about it, let alone talking about it. As the recently appointed Director of Sexual Health and Assault Peer Educators, I spend the majority of my time living and breathing sexual assault and rape culture.
Sexual assault is not unique to Northwestern. Right now, 94 colleges are under federal investigation in the United States for how they handle sexual violence under Title IX. Surprisingly, Northwestern is not one of them.
I find myself incredibly frustrated with the cavalier student body attitude that I’m often faced with. I’m discouraged because I feel that many students do not understand the gravity of these issues. Recently, I spoke at the PHA Grand Chapter, where I addressed approximately 500 sorority women about sexual violence on campus. While many women appeared to take our message to heart, I could still see people rolling their eyes, texting and blatantly ignoring what we were saying.
Our school has a sexual assault problem. We don’t like admitting it, and the majority of students like to exist in ignorance. That doesn’t change the fact that within four years at Northwestern, one in five people and one in three women will be victims of sexual assault or attempted sexual assault. These statistics come from a detailed campus survey taken in 2014. My message and SHAPE’s message is important. Sexual violence happens at Northwestern, and to people of every gender, race and sexual identity and not just heterosexual women. In a class of 20 people, statistically speaking at least four are survivors. Sexual violence is more prevalent in the Greek communities, and the school receives the greatest amount of reports in the first few weeks of each school year.
Northwestern University defines consent as knowing, active, voluntary, present and ongoing. Anything other than this is sexual assault. Consent is not present when an individual is incapacitated due to age or physical condition (sleep, lack of consciousness or incapacitation due to alcohol or drugs). Theoretically, this eliminates the possibility of victim blaming and slut shaming, as it is never a survivor’s fault. At Northwestern, I still hear things like “What were they wearing?” and “She shouldn’t have drank so much. What did she expect to happen?”
Wikipedia defines rape culture as “a concept within feminist theory in which rape is pervasive and normalized due to societal attitudes about gender and sexuality.” This is clearly oversimplified, but I’m tired, Northwestern. I’m tired of hearing rape jokes on campus and reading them on Yik Yak. Even when it’s as casual as something like “I need to bring some lube because I’m about to get buttf***ed by this midterm” or “I totally raped that test,” rape culture is perpetuated. These “jokes” trivialize rape and the experiences people go through. On Yik Yak, these terms aren’t used in a sexual way, but rather a dominant way. Rape is an act of power. Rape jokes perpetuate the culture of power and dominance and continue to take control away from survivors.
Working against sexual violence is exhausting. I find myself emotionally drained far too often. I know that I’m not doing enough. I see this enormous problem and I can’t fix it. Sometimes I feel like I can’t even make a difference. I keep fighting because I know that if I can counsel at least one person, stop one potential perpetrator from offending or show someone that they are not alone, I’m doing something to help.
There are members of our community who care. I spent the last five months helping plan Northwestern’s annual Take Back the Night week. Take Back the Night is an international non-profit organization that works to end sexual violence in all forms. At Northwestern, we had a series of events with the most well-known being the TBTN March and Survivor Speakout. Before the march, I was worried. I was worried we would be mocked or trivialized or that hardly anyone would come. My worries turned out to be unfounded. More than 80 students from a large variety of organizations came to march in solidarity with survivors of sexual violence.
Walking through campus chanting phrases such as “shatter the silence, stop the violence” and “yes means yes, no means no, whatever we wear, wherever we go,” I felt more hopeful than I had felt in a long time. Many students who watched us go by applauded, and I felt supported and empowered. I was with people who understood the work I am doing and why it is important. I didn’t feel so alone anymore.
We need more of this. We need to show survivors they are not alone and that we care for and support them. Northwestern, it’s time to stand up to sexual violence.
Originally published: http://www.northbynorthwestern.com/story/reflecting-on-nus-sexual-assault-problem/