Complaints filed against USC, UC Berkeley over rape reporting

alamemom
Mon, 27 May 2013 18:47:52 +0000

College administration response to rape reporting on college campuses across the country has been a terrible problem for a very long time, and it is definitely time to make changes at all colleges and universities. The FIRST call should always be to the POLICE. Not the resident advisor, the college administration or the campus police - the POLICE.

As to maximillion’s question about people here on the forum saying that USC is safe, in general the “safety” questions that are posted on this forum have to do with the safety of the surrounding neighborhood. THIS article discusses the danger to young women from those she knows right there ON campus with her at colleges across the country. The discussion about the neighborhood becomes irrelevant.

The real danger to women, whether at college or not, is and always has been from those she knows and trusts - and while at college that includes her fellow students. maximillion is right to be worried, as are parents of young women heading off to any college. Hard questions need to be asked of administrations in advance of these situations arising so that the administrators know that parents expect that reporting will be immediate, to the appropriate agencies and thorough. Parents, raise your hands during the orientation sessions and ask what the procedure will be in the case of a young woman reporting that she has been raped - there should be NO question of ANY college official “deciding” if a rape should be reported to the police - it must be the FIRST step.

I hope to hear from parents attending orientation this year that USC is responding as quickly and transparently to these issues as they have to the neighborhood safety concerns - all parents of college-bound women should be far more concerned about this issue than whether their child’s college is in a working-class or a ritzy neighborhood.