Correction Appended
Describing her frustration being labeled as a victim of sexual assault, Alicia '11 implored students to change the way they view sexual assault and to understand the realities of sexual assault on campus during a sexual assault forum at Alpha Delta fraternity on Friday. The forum at which College President Jim Yong Kim pledged to create a safe environment for victims was designed as a proactive way to deal with sexual assault on campus.
"Just because someone has been sexually assaulted doesn't mean they're damaged," Alicia said. "I think I have gotten more out of Dartmouth because of my experience."
Reported sexual assaults have increased on campus over the last several years, Kim said.
In 2008, Dartmouth had the highest rate of sexual assaults in the Ivy League, according to the 2008 Clery Act report. Kim and others noted, however, that this may be caused by students' increased comfort with reporting assault cases.
The College administration hopes to make the process of reporting and prosecuting instances of sexual assault easier in order to encourage students who have been assaulted to come forward, according to Kim. This has been one of the stated goals of the Student and Presidential Committee on Sexual Assault, The Dartmouth reported previously.
"To say that we're going to prosecute our own students is painful, but that's the way it is," Kim said. "We're going to figure out how to make it safe to make these claims, and then we're going to prosecute. It's just got to stop."
Kim also expressed his concern for the safety of students who consume alcohol, noting a link between alcohol use and sexual assault.
In response to questions about the Greek system's role in sexual assault on campus, Kim said that he is not trying to attack the Greek system, but rather to manage sexual assault.
Simply abolishing the Greek system would not solve the problem of sexual assault because much of the hard alcohol consumption linked to sexual assault occurs at "pre-games," Kim said. Because the majority of social events occur at Greek organizations' physical plants, the Greek system must lead initiatives to protect the safety of all students.
Students must educate themselves about the reality of sexual assault on college campuses, Alicia said.
"Sexual assault is not usually stranger rape there are often alcohol or date rape drugs involved," she said.
Following the sexual assault of a loved one, Matt '10 shared his experience managing his feelings of confusion about his place at Dartmouth. Although sexual assault is a personal experience, opening up about it is essential, he said.
"The most important thing about being in a [fraternity] isn't getting drunk it's letting someone know that they can talk to you, because you're their friend first of all," Matthew said.
Kim challenged students to change the culture surrounding drinking and assault, saying that he could not solve the problem through College policy. He also promised to incorporate student input in attempts to stop assault and offered to send students to other campuses to find effective programs.
Students responded to Kim's speech with a variety of questions and suggestions on how to change campus social dynamics. One student suggested that the College abolish the Dartmouth Plan to build a more permanent community, while another said that alternative social spaces should develop organically rather than at the direction of the administration.
Most students agreed that unless individuals and Greek houses take action against sexual assault, little will change.
"If you see a vulnerable drunk freshman girl who looks uncomfortable, walk over to her and ask if she's OK," one female upperclassman said. "We are all responsible."
Kim agreed with the student's emphasis on creating a sense of collective responsibility.
"You should tell everybody that I personally stand with everyone who's been victimized by sexual assault," he said. "On a very personal level, I am always going to stand with the people who are victims."
Both Emily Bengston '10 and AD social chair Tom Mandel '11, two of the event's organizers, noted the importance of discussing sexual assault regularly rather than simply responding to isolated incidents.
"We're hoping to make this an annual thing to have the opportunity for people to get together and hash these things out," Bengston said.
Mandel said he hoped that the forum's location would help reach a variety of students.
"A lot of panels in [the] Collis [Center] end up preaching to people who have already been converted, so nobody's mind gets changed," Mandel said.
Bengston said she was impressed with how much information people shared. Although she had originally envisioned the forum as more of a free-flowing discussion, she was "very happy with the way it turned out."
Bengston said committee members hope to overhaul the process of sexual assault reporting by streamlining the process and making Dartmouth's resources easier to navigate.
"Part of the problem is that [the reporting process] is just so convoluted," she said.
Alicia also said she was happy with how the event turned out, adding that having Kim's support sent a powerful message.
"We need to create a community where people feel comfortable sharing their experiences," she said. "For a lot of people, the first way they understand sexual assault is when someone they know and care about has been sexually assaulted."
Mandel said that he hoped the event will engage more members of fraternities with the issue.
"If hosting this event and planning this event will help prevent one case either if a bystander intervenes or a victim knows how to protect herself it will all be worth it," he said.
Mandel is member of The Dartmouth Staff.
