Sexual Assault And Rape

Drinking, sex, and college students, what a dangerous mix. Sexual assault and rape are serious social, emotional, and public health issues in the United States. A new survey of college students, one of the largest ever focusing on sexual assault and sexual misconduct, has reignited the debate over just how big a problem sexual assault on campus really is. (Wallace, 2015) The majority of sexual assault and sexual misconduct among college students usually involve drugs or alcohol. A study found that an estimated 100,000 sexual assaults are reported each year, and roughly 62% were drug affiliated. (Smith, 2010) Millions of young students enter college expecting freedom, meeting new friends, getting good grades, and having lots of fun. However,
Sexual assault ranges from kissing to touching to rape. A recent article states that among female college students, 23% said they experienced some form of unwanted sexual contact, carried out by force or threat of force, or while they were incapacitated because of alcohol and drugs, according to the new survey by the Association of American Universities. Nearly 11% said the unwanted contact included penetration or oral sex. These documented numbers regarding sexual assault is something that should concern all of us. Although this specific survey’s findings were strikingly similar to other recent studies; the significance of this latest effort is its size. More than 150,000 students participated from 27 universities, including some of the most prominent schools across the country. (Wallace,
Across the 27 universities that participated in the sexual assault survey, men experienced much lower, but still significant amounts of sexual assault. 8.6% of male seniors said they experienced some kind of unwanted sexual contact. 2.9% of male seniors said they experienced penetrations, attempted penetration, or oral sex, carried out by force or incapacitation. (Pérez-Peña, 2015) According to the Association of American Universities one in four transgender students have experienced sexual assault since enrolling into college. Transgender students are at higher risks that any other segment of the campus population, with 15.5% reporting that they have been sexually assaulted. (New, 2015) The same survey that found high rates of female students reporting sexual assault finds that nearly a quarter a quarter of transgender students experience some form of sexual violence while in college says Jake New, author of The ‘Invisible’ One in Four. Based on the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, one in five women and one in sixteen men are sexually assaulted while in college. More than 90% of sexual assault victims do not report the assault. 63.3% of men at one university who self-reported acts qualifying as rape or attempted rape admitted to committing repeat