Sexual Violence Reports on College Campuses: How Schools and Students Plan to Combat Assault

*Trigger Warning: Sexual Assault

“I have watched plenty of Law & Order: SVU and similar shows, but never in my life did I ever think I would be living in one of those episodes,” says Alexis, a 20-year-old college student.

Transitioning from high school to college isn’t easy for anyone. The workload becomes heavier and heavier. You’ve moved away from home, and in order to make friends, you need to go out and socialize.

Many college campuses offer sports teams, Greek life, and other social groups to help students connect with one another. Those considered groups, where you once met your best friends (Greek life, sports teams, etc.), have since become places of fear for many students.

Sexual assault cases have been swarming college campuses, and more and more victims have begun speaking out against their assaulters.

“Among undergraduate students, 26.4% of females and 6.8% of males experience rape or sexual assault through physical force, violence, or incapacitation,” informs Rainn.

On many campuses, survivors and other students have begun protesting outside of fraternity and sports team houses, demanding justice.

In the fall of 2021, hundreds of students rallied outside of the Theta Chi chapter at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The students pooled outside of the fraternity house “chanting an expletive, middle fingers raised,” says The New York Times.

This is just one example of the countless students who have banded together to speak out about sexual violence—and this doesn’t only happen at fraternities.

This past February, the University of Vermont Men’s Basketball team was accused of several sexual assaults. This is not the first time UVM has been accused of mishandling sexual misconduct. In May of 2021, students were protesting the administration, creating a seamless parallel to the accusations against the men's basketball team.

“An army of outspoken survivors and allies are teaming up on social media and taking the UVM administration and athletics department by storm,” reports WCAX3, a local news channel in Vermont.

These sexual assault cases have inspired victims and allies to stand up and fight back for what is right—earning them statewide and even national attention. But, they can’t do it alone. This begs the question: “What are colleges doing to combat sexual violence?”

Dr. O’Leary, a college counseling psychologist, says there is a multitude of steps she and her office take to support victims of sexual violence.

Rainn’s statistics point out that those who are in the age range 18-34 (prime college years) make up 54% of sexual assault victims.

First things first, you must create a safe space for the survivor. It is important to “meet them with openness and empathy so they can share their story in the way they need to and feel heard and understood,” says Dr. O’Leary. “This in and of itself is a crucial piece of the healing process and is the basis for a counseling relationship.”

“Counseling centers play a key role in screening and watching out for signs of relationship and sexual trauma among students,” the American Psychological Association reports.

Following the creation of a safe space where the survivor can be comfortable talking about their traumatic experience(s), Dr. O’Leary also says that it is imperative to identify their needs, provide resources/referrals, and empower the survivor by letting them know it takes a journey.

She also feels that education is a major factor in providing the survivor the support that they need. “Psychoeducation is important because it validates that every survivor’s reaction to trauma is unique,” says Dr. O’Leary.

“Counseling is a confidential space where the survivor is able to be in control of how, when, and what to share,” she says. “My role is to support survivors by considering their options as they choose what steps they need to take for themselves.”

Every victim’s story is unique to them. Dr. O’Leary and her office work with victims to help them understand why their trauma causes certain reactions and provide their support wherever it is needed.

Alexis is a victim of two sexual assaults, both of which were on college campuses, and one in which she has tried to take legal action.

“One in 5 women and one in 16 men are sexually assaulted while in college,” reports the National Sexual Violence Resource Center. “More than 90% of sexual assault victims on college campuses do not report the assault.”

“I have no recollection,” says Alexis on her first assault. “I only know what I was told, and what came back from the rape kit I got the following day.”

Like any other college student, Alexis was looking to simply go out and meet new people but instead was faced with evil.

“Having to undergo a rape kit was one of the most gut-wrenching, invasive, and disturbing things I’ve ever had to experience,” she says. “I literally felt nothing, but so much at the same time.”

The results of her rape kit took three months to come back and from there, Alexis and her family decided to take legal action. She endured nearly seven months of questioning before finding a DNA match to the kit.

“Once he was called in, he claimed that it was consensual,” says Alexis. “Since I had no memory of the night, there was not enough evidence in the case to be able to take it to court with a chance of actually winning.”

Both of these assaults did not take place at the university she currently attends, which made things a bit difficult. She even attempted to reach out to both campuses to seek help, however, she was left dissatisfied.

“They basically said they could give me no help because I wasn’t a student there—which felt like a slap in the face,” she says.

“About 1 in 5 college-aged female survivors received assistance from a victim services agency,” according to Rainn.

Dr. O’Leary says that Title IX, an amendment all colleges must abide by, is “crucial as it prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, including sexual misconduct and violence.”

Title IX is put in place specifically to combat sexual assault cases on college campuses. “It provides the basis for policies,” she says, and is “critical to preventing and responding to sexual violence.”

Dr. O’Leary and her office work extremely hard to ensure that victims get the support they need—even if this means taking legal action.

“Immediate action should be taken by college personnel whenever sexual misconduct is reported,” she says, “as outlined in the institution’s policies and procedures for responding to sexual misconduct and violence.”

Though in Alexis’s case, the universities she was dealing with did not give her the resources she needed, “helping the survivor identify additional supports in their existing community is another crucial piece (e.g. empathic and trusted friends/family, spiritual communities, etc.),” says Dr. O’Leary.

Luckily, Alexis had a support system that helped her get through both of these traumatic experiences.

“I was lucky enough to have my family and friends, but I feel like the unavoidable statement of ‘you shouldn’t have been so drunk’ is always brought up,” she mentions, “it’s so frustrating.”

Alexis has tried to resume her social life as normal as she can, “but it’s always just a lingering feeling when I’m trying to be in the moment and have a good time with my friends,” she says “like a cloud over my head.”

Talking with her family and friends has helped her accept what happened and gain her confidence back. “Even if it’s not in a legal way it still feels empowering for me—like I don’t let it rule my life,” she claims. But, she feels that more needs to be done to stop this problem.

“College campuses need to be more open and willing to hear those who come forward,” Alexis suggests. “As daunting as it is, feeling any sort of vibe where you think someone doesn’t believe you immediately shuts you down and makes you want to say nothing at all.”

As Dr. O’Leary previously pointed out, it is important that victims have a safe place where they can be seen and heard. In Alexis’s case, she did not have any support from the universities she was dealing with. However, her loved ones were able to give her a voice where she could share her experience.

“I shouldn’t have to fear my safety when going out,” says Alexis. “That should not be normalized, but in today’s world—it is.”

Unfortunately, her story is one that many college students can relate to. These sexual assault cases have made many steer clear of social settings and have given groups such as fraternities, sororities, and sports teams a bad reputation.

Mike, a member of a fraternity, says they “need to change the stigma in multiple ways, starting with the people they select to join.”

“Studies have found fraternity men are three times more likely to rape women than nonaffiliated classmates,” The Los Angeles Times reports. “Most gang rapes reported on campus are tied to fraternities.”

However, that is not the case for all members of a chapter—it truly comes down to the individual. Social groups like these are a part of the college experience in order to build life-long connections and become active community members.

“It is imperative that only genuinely good people are let into a fraternity,” says Mike. “In addition to this, an environment where girls are able to feel comfortable.”

Though many fraternities have been suspended due to sexual misconduct, being more selective and raising awareness through philanthropic events is something Mike feels can change the trajectory.

“My fraternity has a 0 tolerance policy for this [sexual assault],” he notes.

There are several steps the members of his fraternity are instructed to follow if one of the members is seen doing the act or rumored to have sexually assaulted someone.

“Any brother who has been found to make anyone uncomfortable is immediately kicked out from the event,” he says. “Following this, they are de-lettered—meaning they’re no longer a member of the fraternity.”

However, the action does not stop there. The victim is of utmost importance in this situation.

The members of the fraternity will then “make sure the victim is okay and how they want to handle the situation, whether that be moving past the occurrence or getting the police involved,” he mentions. “We, as a fraternity, are always on the victim’s side.”

Though over the past few years fraternities and other social groups have been given a negative connotation, there are many steps they can take to break the stigma. Mike feels that ensuring a safe space for all is imperative to restoring the reasons these social groups were created in the first place.

College campuses need healing. Sexual assault victims, social groups, and other members of the campus have been exhausted from this ongoing epidemic. Sadly, it is hard to change an individual’s decision to inflict sexual violence, but there are actions that can be taken to make for a safer, more enjoyable campus life going forward.

When selecting which college you want to go to or send your children to, researching schools with the least amount of sexual assault cases should not be a priority. College should be a safe space where one can build meaningful connections—and it is imperative that campuses start combating the sexual assault epidemic.

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and it is important to support the survivors in your life. If you are a victim of sexual assault, just know that you are not alone and never will be. This is a call to action for colleges all around the world to fight back against sexual violence—the students cannot do it alone.

If you have been sexually assaulted and are not sure what to do, please seek out one of your campuses counselors or the resources Dr. O’Leary has provided below.

National Sexual Assault Hotline: (1-800-656-4673).

CVTC (Crime Victims Treatment Center): (212) 523-4728

RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network): www.rainn.org

*Some of the interviewees’ names and university names were changed/left out for privacy reasons.