That Was Fast: Colleges Fail to Responsibly Address Sexual Assault

DEBORAH CHEN
Copy Editor

Numerous students at the University of Southern California (USC) have filed federal complaints that the school has failed to adequately respond to sexual assaults on campus. Similar complaints have also been filed at other schools around the nation, including Occidental, Yale, University of California Berkeley, Dartmouth and Swarthmore.

There have been many situations in which school officials do not do their job, which is to provide a safe environment for the students on campus. In addition, their reasoning for why rape is not a crime is ridiculous.

“Even though his penis penetrated [her] vagina, because he stopped, it was not a crime,’’ a Department of Public Safety detective allegedly told a victim, according to Mail Online.

That is absurd! Rape is still rape, regardless of the fact that he “stopped.” The fact that he discontinued does not make it any less of a crime. He still committed an atrocious act and therefore there needs to be consequences for his actions.

According to Merriam Webster, rape is “illegal sexual contact that usually involves force upon a person without consent or is inflicted upon a person who is incapable of giving consent.” So, last I checked, the definition for rape still has not changed.

In addition, officials should always try to solve rape cases to the best of their potential. The fact that the students are paying to attend that college and the college will not even protect their basic rights is astounding. Why aren’t the officials making every effort they can to arrest the rapist? Why are they instead making excuses for the attacker?

Another student, Tucker Reed, stated that her ex-boyfriend raped her in December 2010. However, when she went to
officials in December 2012, she said her case was not properly investigated and was eventually dismissed, even though she had presented detectives with a recording of her alleged rapist admitting to the crime.

Everyone who reports a crime deserves to have their claim investigated thoroughly. The fact that her case was ultimately dismissed even though there was evidence to back up her claim demonstrates the unfairness present in society when dealing with sexual assaults against women. The officials need to step up and do their job to the best of their ability by properly investigating each case every time and ensuring that the the rapists are brought to justice.

It is the officials’ jobs to protect the community, and it is blatantly clear through several occurrences that the officials did not deliver that protection. More action must take place at these universities to ensure a safer community against sexual violence.