Sexual Assault On College Campuses: A Qualitative Study

In recent years, people are becoming more aware that sexual assault is a growing problem on college campuses in the United States. A revolutionary study in the 80s found that 1 in 4 women on university campuses have been sexually victimized (Koss, Gidycz, Wisniewski 1987). Analyses on sexual assault on campus have all shown us that the phenomenon is pertinent across the grounds of all United States colleges and universities. When comparing the victimization rate of college students to persons of the same age group not enrolled in school, the difference is sizable. College students should feel safe at their school, and universities have an obligation to do everything in their power to ensure that safety. As shown in a study conducted by Jordan, Combs, and Smith (2014), sexual assault can impact a student’s ability to function normally and as a result their GPA can lower significantly over the
However, there is still not enough research about what the variables are that influence the occurrence. Amongst college campuses, peer pressure, intoxicants, rape myths, peer bystanders, and possibly more could be causing sexual victimization to transpire. This study aims to determine the prominent factors that lead to increasing the risk of sexual violence of college students on campus. Quantitative projects need to be established and repeated so that the variables involved in the high level of sexual assault on college grounds is further understood. Once those variables are identified, college officials who deal with sexual assault prevention can look into the most efficient way to incapacitate them. With more research and studies as proposed in this paper as to the causes of sexual violence on college campuses, the necessary steps can be taken towards lowering sexual victimization and possibly eradicating