NPR Article about federal government action
Finally, a sign that our government can do at least some things right: the federal government has told universities and schools to not simply rely on what's referred to as "bystander education" (educate the other students to intervene so the school won't have to) and to properly follow through with investigations of claims of sexual assault. A recent government study had revealed that some universities aren't doing their part and leave the perpatrators unpunished and punish the victim for any rules broken, usually leaving them at the mercy of the perpatrator. Even in the Ivy League, this was a problem. Because of legal technicalities, you could even say that some of these universities accidentally skirted the law.
There's no doubt that these days, sexual assault is a problem, especially at the college level. Some guys think they can do anything they want to a girl in college because they are legal adults and their parents can't tell them what to do anymore. To a**holes like that, I say "There are things called laws for a reason." The trend of violence (escepically of the sexual sort) comes as no surprise. Guys are being taught that these kinds of actions are okay because you see them in the media all the time. If you doubt me, watch a few popular TV shows and a few music videos, or listen to some pop music. You'll quickly see what I mean. Studies have shown that sex in the media and teenage pregnancy are lined. With growing examples of sexual violence in the media, is it any surprise that accusations like this are coming to light? It shouldn't be a surprise.
The media is not the only one at fault here. Parents are partially to blame as well. Many parents can barely bring up the topic of sex while talking to their kids, let alone inform them about sexual violence or proper attitudes towards women. Parents should be teaching their sons the right way to act towards girls and the right way to treat them. That said, they should also be teaching their daughters what to do if a guy acts "improperly" towards them, that they should not have to deal with that guy, and self-defense.
It's sad to hear, but if you ask students at high schools and colleges, they're more than likely to tell you that there are at least rumors that things resembling sexual assault have happened recently. School officials have been slacking off in general about everything lately, as proved by the slews of school shootings, bullying videos, and student suicides. A few years ago, a dancer who had once worked with my dance instructor was murdered in her apartment after being assaulted by a man she had recently met. She was in college at the time. I can tell you that just this past fall, students at a local high school were caught doing it in a car in the school parking lot during school hours. That is clear proof that school administators and other staff are not doing their jobs. They should be concerned with the safety of their students and making sure they have a safe school environment. They should also be doing more to crack down on students who skip classes, investigating why the kid was out of class and what they were doing. Colleges delaying investigations of claims (leaving the victim at the perpatrator's mercy in the process) are obviously failing the "safety of their students" part, to say the least.
I think the government is doing the right thing in this case, because they are promoting justice and the safety of their people, which is what should be happening in the first place. Schools and universities that have been slacking off should have to do extra to make it up to the students who were punished for things involved in the assault despite the fact that they were the victim. That's just unacceptable. You can punish them later, if you're really that mean, but get rid of the greater evil first! (It's called logic, people. You should try it.) I feel that-as bad as this is going to sound- government involvment is the only way to get schools and universities to stop shoving these under the rug and that this will keep them from not doing their part. Congratulations to the government- you're at least taking some steps to fix this broken system.
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