Last month, a story about the University of Virginia sexual violence scandal went viral in an issue of Rolling Stone. It told the account of Jackie, a then-freshman at the school, who was allegedly raped as a part of a fraternity pledging ritual. The University brushed it aside, refusing to even warn students that an incident may have occurred. While Rolling Stone’s story is now under public scrutiny for inaccuracies, Jackie’s experience is only one of many campus sexual assault cases mishandled this year alone.
The most prominent case is that of Emma Sulkowicz, a current senior at Columbia University. After she was raped by a man with whom she previously had consensual sex with, she filed charges against him with the university, alongside three other victims. The administration took the word of the rapist and dismissed all charges — leading Sulkowicz to protest by carrying her mattress everywhere with her across campus to bring attention to the gross injustice handed to her.
The misreporting of the UVA rape case in no way diminishes the experiences of victims. No matter what was correctly or falsely reported, colleges are not doing enough to help the victims or to stop sexual violence. Many schools are sweeping these cases under the rug and casting doubt upon the victims in an effort to maintain the appearance of prestige — reflecting on the academics of a school, not the people. A parent in the Rolling Stone piece summarized it best: “Nobody wants to send their daughter to the rape school.” Fraternities and young men are not the root of the problem, but the system that is required to hold them accountable continuously fails.
Universities are adapting, yet it is far too late in the eyes of victims. Many believe that universities are only doing so to protect themselves, not sexual assault victims. The State University of New York, under Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s direction, released a uniform bill of rights and definition of consent for sexual assault — finally acknowledging the epidemic on college campuses. Unfortunately, it is only one of the first university systems to do so.
The White House, too, recently began taking steps to stop sexual violence on campuses. They announced an initiative called “It’s On Us” to encourage bystander intervention and engage the public to rethink the way we approach sexual assault. Celebrities and major corporations were recruited in the effort to push college students to intervene when they see a friend being whisked away at a party. While it is a powerful initiative, it does not come close to fully addressing underlying cultural norms. Intervention should be the final step in efforts to stop sexual assault, not the first.
High-profile rape cases tend to incite a gross reaction from the public, with many putting the blame on the victim. In the time since Rolling Stone has partially redacted its story on Jackie, the public, through Internet comments and editorials, has used the opportunity to confirm the culture of blame against the victim. We cannot allow poor reporting to chip away at the momentum of change toward the way we look and treat sexual assault victims. There is still much more to be done.