Argumentative Essay

Shania Valdivia

Professor Hammett

ENGLISH 1302

Argumentative Essay

1110 words

16 February 2023

Rape On College Campus

Are College Campuses really that safe? Rape is a very tough subject to some, but sadly it is something we cannot hide. Cases are highly common with women being raped. “A 2002 study based on surveys of 1,882 college men and published in Violence and Victims, an academic journal, found that as many as 63 percent of those who admitted to behaviors that fit in the definition or rape or attempted rape” (Saul). Not only are women raped but so are men. Rape happens all around no matter how much an environment claims to be safe. Yes, college campus takes protocol on basic security needs but not so much with making rape less possible by making sure repeat offenders are to never step foot on any campus again. “But in 2015, a study…found that while a larger number of men admitted to behaviors that constituted raped, a smaller percentage of them, closer to 25 percent, were repeat offenders” (New York Times). For colleges to fix this national issue they should make sure their students are safe from rape, they need to remove or at least limit alcohol, and the criminals need the punishment they deserve.

Beginning with the first example, ultimately students should be able to feel safe on their school grounds. Rape isn’t a simple cause that could just be ignored, it traumatizes and has long-term consequences that effects the victim for their whole life. Some victims are even left with PTSD or even have trouble in their future relationships. Even people who have heard about rape cases start to feel anxious and panicked. Illustrating this, “The data shows that fear of rape among college woman appears more grounded in constructed perceptions of harm and danger than in past violent experiences” (Pryor 59). When people hear about the many of rape cases that are around, it can alarm them, thus, changing the way they connect with other people. For this reason, most college students feel the urge to keep their guard up and are paranoid of their surroundings twenty-four seen. Colleges have slowly started using their case numbers as motivation to make changes. Additionally, “Services available on campus and in the community include professionals who could meet the medical, psychological, safety, and legal needs of services” (Amar 174). Though colleges have not done a great job of making their students feel as safe as they can, they have improved by providing some form of help for the victims and have a sense of authority they are able to talk to. Though colleges are providing this, quite a lot of victims still do not feel safe on their campus grounds, thus some students even leave their colleges because they cannot deal with the trauma.

Moving forward to the second solution, to help solve rape colleges should monitor alcohol intake due to majority of rape cases on campus are based on alcohol intake initiating the attacker to be more provoked in committing this crime. Specifically, “In October 2015…Ms. Stroup had too much to drink. They enlisted the clean-cut male student from downstairs to look after her…. The next morning, Ms. Stroup woke up disoriented and in pain” (Saul). College students having a small get-together with their “friends” intaking alcohol ended up a girl getting taken advantage of and raped just under victim’s friend’s noses. Furthermore, “Indiana University…John P. Enochs, pleaded guilty…raped her while she was passed out from drinking at his fraternity house” (Saul). Rape does happen no matter the situation and an attacker can make it happen if wanted to. Alcohol intake though makes the chances higher than before. These students go to parties to have fun and get the college experience and they can’t even do it safely. Even men must worry about being taken advantage of when they are intoxicated. Parties happening on campus in fraternity houses aren’t downlow. These parties are spread around the school and noticeable from the music and lights. Colleges are allowing students have access to alcohol way to easily that it ends up in the wrong person’s hands. Colleges should be able to know how alcohol is getting onto campus and if alcohol is allowed the amount of it should be tracked. Parties should not be forever canceled but they can be monitored in order to save students from becoming victims.

Subsequently, rape is one of the largest, worldwide public concerns. It is a daunting experience for anyone who has gone through it, even more so when the victim’s perpetrator isn’t punished the way they should be. Many articles and reports have proven that colleges do not take the right precautions or immediate action towards these cases. To illustrate, “More than 100 University of Sand Diego students help a protest… they were frustrated that a student found guilty of sexual assault was banned from campus for the spring semester instead of being expelled” (Garrick). It has been proven by reporters that colleges are not taking these cases seriously. Yes, the student got banned from campus for the spring semester but that was not enough. Like stated in the previous paragraph, who knows if that same student could come back and possibly rape another student because the consequence was not drastic. Nonetheless, “Rollings said that the one-semester ban in the case that sparked Sunday’s protest could make victims feel they either have to pursue a criminal case or not report assaults at all” (Garrick). The victims of rape cases have a dilemma of being able to speak about their ordeals and usually have to take a step back and process what had happened to them. It takes a remarkable amount of effort mentally and physically for them to be able to speak up and stand up for themselves. Colleges that are not able to provide major safety measures and provisions causes victims of rape to suffer in silence. It also makes them feel like they won’t be justified because in actuality the authorities that are supposed to be protecting their students just aren’t. College campuses are supposed to make their students feel like they have a safe environment to learn and grow as an individual, not make them feel endangered and isolated.

In conclusion, rape on campus is a huge deal that needs to be addressed. College should be a place where students can learn and have fun without having to have a worry about being raped. Colleges need to make sure to keep students safe, limit students access to any form of alcohol due to many reports is from being under the influence of alcohol, and lastly colleges need to make sure justice is being served for these victims. Victims should not have to be scared to share their story or even be worried about the attacker getting the punishment deserved. Collee campus rape is truly a scary thing.