A reminder on the rape epidemic

Sometimes it takes a horrible event to happen to make us realize what issues may exist that we push out of the forefront of our minds.

Take, for example, the Donald Sterling incident: He is the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers basketball team who was recorded making repeated racist comments. Before this information was released, chances are that many of us didn’t think racism still existed to that extent. Yet, it does.

The same goes for the alleged gang rape of a University of Oregon student by three basketball players: It raises fears about sexual attacks on or near a college campus, something many of us don’t think much about very often.

Mt. Hood is a relatively safe campus. There have been no reported cases of sexual assault since at least 2009, according to the 2013 Clery Report (required by federal law) issued by the Public Safety department.

This is a drastic contrast when you turn your attention to Oregon’s campus in Eugene, which had 70 reported sexual assaults in 2010-12. Yes, we acknowledge there is a big difference between a community college (especially one without housing) and a large, four-year university. Even so, Oregon State University in Corvallis had 50 fewer assault reports during the same time period. Portland State, in downtown Portland, had 30 fewer.

On-site housing is not the source of the problem, we note. We examined the Clery report data from Southwestern Community College, one of the few Oregon community colleges with on-site housing, and found it had just one sexual assault on their Coos Bay campus during the same time period.

Our main point is this: Sexual assault isn’t something we should sweep under the rug. It should not be downplayed or hidden to save the reputation of the college (or its star athletes). Too often, officials’ treatment of reported incidents is botched, however. The U.S. Department of Education recently released a list of 55 schools that are currently under investigation for handling sexual assaults incorrectly.

Oregon schools are off that hook — none of them made the list, released on May 1. This is a relief for those of us at The Advocate heading to an Oregon university this fall.

Still, we feel an urgency to see that our educational institutions keep student safety foremost in their minds. It is more important to handle any suspected case of sexual assault immediately, and with full transparency. If a college administration learns of a reported assault, it should be common sense to report it as is expected under Title IX requirements (which focus on gender equity).

No matter how safe our campus is at Mt. Hood, sexual assault continues to occur all around us.

We must stay aware, both as a group and as individuals. Keep an eye out for yourself and others. We’re not in elementary school anymore, but the buddy system still applies. Men and women alike, be cautious of your surroundings.

If you’re transferring to a larger university, do your homework. Each college submits a Clery Report each year that details the number and nature of all crimes that took place.

If the university you’re thinking about transferring to has a high rate of violent crimes or made the new DOE list, pause and ask: Is that the kind of environment you want to be in, or would send your children to?

Advocate Staff