<p>On many college campuses, at least historically, when the victim reports to the college and chooses to pursue a complaint within the college’s procedures, she agrees to confidentiality and she can NOT “out” the alleged perp.</p>
<p>Here’s a link to one case in which the victim of an alleged rape claims she been threatened with expulsion for violating that confidentiality.</p>
<p>jonri–thanks, but I read the college’s online information and it expressly states that it has a duty of providing a safe environment for all students and that requests for confidentiality will be weighed against the seriousness of the allegations and whether there have been prior complaints against the perp. </p>
<p>It also makes it clear that the alleged perp gets to know her name and has an equal right to participate in the investigation and any disciplinary proceedings.</p>
<p>", isn’t the buddy system and any and every other precaution to avoid the high risk circumstances what should be suggested to my neice?"</p>
<p>I can’t see how a buddy system can hurt. But there are common suggestions that I have seen for which I’d really want to see data before recommending. (I gave the example earlier of the yelling one.)</p>
<p>Reporting does more than out the perp. It puts pressure on the college to actually provide the services that they claim to offer. It is also harder for the college to claim that the victim made it all up much after the fact. Remember: colleges are enablers of their criminal element, and they can substantially by protecting them.</p>
<p>The main thing is just to make sure you report to the local police and not to the school or even to campus security.</p>
<p>The pressure to respond is only brought to bear by the outside oversight.</p>
<p>These universities, at this point, from what I can see, are like very dysfunctional families. If they can keep the secrets secret, they will do so. It is only when someone from outside starts to look into it that they begin to take action.</p>
<p>In the link from Jonri, you will note that UNC has already hired two new administrators to assist rape victims. This came about because of the DOJ complaint for which they threatened to expell the young woman. There’s been a massive cover up in academia of the rapes on campus. It has been a hostile, secretive, victim blaming culture from the state universities all the way to Harvard and over to Amherst. Nobody has done this right. </p>
<p>Thanks for the link, but it only links to a summary.</p>
<p>Sexual Abuse: More than 97,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape.
Not clear where the data came from.</p>
<p>That was sure a horrible case that happened in NY a couple weeks ago. ( our paper just reported it) a man without prior police record was found in January to have child pornography. He has had an electronic monitoring device since then while the investigators continued to go through his files.</p>
<p>Then on march 15th he cut the device off, kidnapped a school librarian and her 10 yr old daughter. Raped the 10yr old but she got away while he was stabbing her mother to death.</p>
<p>I can think of something to do with those knives.</p>
<p>Ad agencies are constantly trying to come as close to the line as possible without crossing it. Ford may take the hit but actually it is the ad agency who is at fault if people think that ad crosses the line.</p>
<p>poetgrl’s several references to “rape culture” sent me off to educate myself on this theory. Needless to say it is enlightening. It seems it has become somewhat of an equal opportunity situation. </p>
<p>The 2010 NISVS report addressed a recent 12 month period and reported that 1.1% of US females suffering “rape” and 1.1% of the US males suffering from being “made to penetrate” someone. These are defined terms and “rape” is limited to being penetrated.</p>
<p>Apparently, males are made to penetrate by female perps 79.2% of the time and are subject to sexual coercion to penetrate by female perps 83.6% of the time. As with females, the smallest category of perps of male victims are strangers. “Made to penetrate” occurs between intimates and acquaintance in the same percentage. (44.8% intimate-44.7 acquaintance)</p>
<p>This is astounding to me. It appears that in today’s US society we are fast approaching parity. It does seem that the US now has a culture of acceptance of forcing sex on our current and past intimate partners and acquaintances.</p>
<p>mini–the addition of the “made to penetrate” inquiry was brought about by pressure on the FBI from what I read. Do you really think that at this point in time local police are going to be the best reporting alternative for the male who has been made to penetrate by a female perp? I can see that campus activism could force the university to respond quicker than changing the “group think” of many police departments. I think that the police would really put such a report on the back burner.</p>
<p>Police departments can have shoddy thinking, out-of-date thinking, and overstressed/overworked departments. Colleges and universities have all three of those, plus "reputations’ to protect (both in terms of not being known as a rapist mecca, and being known as a “fun place” to be), tuition paid by its criminal element, and a mission that doesn’t include policing.</p>
<p>Without reporting to off-campus law enforcement, a rape victim has virtually no leverage with “the fun place”.</p>
<p>mini-- I appreciate your response. I’m in Dallas and there has been a fair amount of coverage about rapes at SMU. According to several articles, about 25 rapes of SMU students have been reported to the Dallas police over the last 15-20 years. One resulted in a conviction of three non-students who raped and killed the female student off campus.</p>
<p>One (male on female both students) resulted in an indictment and is still “open” a year later. One (male student on male student) had the charges dropped a couple of weeks ago due to evidence/consent issues according to an announcement from the DA’s office. None of the others ever resulted in even an indictment. I guess I have a lot of doubt about the results of the police efforts. </p>
<p>I read the other day that the Denver police do not even have their rape kits tested “if there is an issue of consent.”</p>
<p>I will suggest to my niece that she take every precaution she can think of to not become a victim, but I will advise her that a report to the police is viewed as the best first step in reporting if she is attacked.</p>
<p>Yes, I wish D had called 911 when her bike was hit by campus security, but at least from that incident she saw how they close ranks and protect each other NOT the students. It was an important lesson that S absorbed before he had anything to report (he was always the born cynic anyway).</p>
<p>It’s ironic that the school is supposed to be such a nurturing place, where we are often paying up to 1/4 million or more for the privilege of having the school hide it’s scary parts and not protecting our kids better as it should.</p>
<p>We did teach our D to hit back when she was 5 and started being afraid to go to school due to bullies. She learned to hit BACK, but she never initiated anything. She was able to handle anyone who physically attacked her, even though she’s very light and looks non-intimidating. She and her friends (males & females) do look out for one another, and I am grateful for it.</p>