There exist on every campus a few divisive issues that will never go away -- issues that will forever flare tempers and passions, issues that have no quick, painless resolution. For this campus, the Greek debate is one of those issues. And so is the question of student voice in administrative decisions. But there is another, more subtle issue that is easy to overlook, easy to dismiss as a pointless crusade by a few believers. I am referring to the issue of sexual violence on campus. The prevalence of this problem on campuses is troubling, but perhaps what's more troubling is the fact that this issue is often swept under the rug, ignored, forgotten, lost in silence.
Sexual abuse on campus is an explosive issue. If a charge is brought against one party, his or her reputation, career and future are at stake. So it's easy to see why people look upon claims of sexual abuse with wary expressions. They feel that there are enough cases of so-called "victims," who are in fact just ashamed of having made a stupid mistake. They feel that most sexual abuse claims are false -- that most victims are just seeking some sort of retribution. And so there is a general sense of antagonism against any victim who brings forth a claim. Is it any surprise then that a very small fraction of sexual abuse cases are brought in front of the Committee on Standards or the local police department?
So far I've been careful to refrain from making any gender distinctions, but I'm sure that most of you pictured these "victims" as being female and the "offenders" as being male. That's a common assumption simply because it is the traditional image fixed in our heads, but we have to be aware that there are many other types of victims and many other faces of offenders. It is due to this stereotype, however, that the issue of sexual abuse suddenly becomes a gender issue, rather than a human one. Talk about sexual assault and guys become defensive, perhaps understandably so as I'm sure there have been plenty of cases of guys being wrongly accused. For this reason, any talk of sexual abuse is often taken as a direct attack on men everywhere. And women aren't innocent either in creating a hostile environment for assault victims because this disbelief and mistrust is equally shared by women. We are all to blame for every victim who doesn't feel comfortable or safe enough to come forward; we add to the problem every time we dismiss a victim's claim callously and every time we choose to ignore the problem.
Even when a victim does take a claim to COS, the ensuing process is by no means simple or painless. It is often long and inconclusive due to a lack of sufficient evidence or is further exacerbated by the use of alcohol and drugs, which is common in sexual assault cases. Such discouraging facts lead to fewer and fewer reported cases of sexual assault.
This problem is not isolated to our campus; last year Harvard required students who alleged that they were raped or sexually abused to provide "sufficient corroborating evidence" before looking into the complaints. This decision was followed by a huge backlash, even resulting in the U.S. Department of Education investigating the university for possible violation of Title IX, the federal law barring discrimination in education on the basis of gender. Harvard has decided to review its earlier policy, but the problem remains that it is often nearly impossible to evaluate a sexual abuse case in a satisfactory manner.
I believe that the crux of the matter is a widespread ignorance about sexual violence -- a situation that can only be combated by education. There are organizations on campus like SAPA (Sexual Abuse Peer Advisors) and CARE (Coalition Against Abusive Relations Everywhere) that try to educate students about this issue, but perhaps it is time for us all to get involved. I urge you to never look at this as purely a gender issue. It's not an attack on the Greek system. It's not an attack on males. It's about the safety and security of all Dartmouth students and it's about time we took a stand.
Sexual assault is not acceptable in any way or form. We must stop being suspicious of every victim that steps forward and give that person a chance to make his or her case. We must get involved with the process of COS hearings and try to make them more effective. This really shouldn't be a divisive issue; it's a question of mere humanity. To some of you, sexual abuse might be just another idealistic crusade, but to others it's a matter of life and death.
