College rapes could end in a matter of months, or even weeks, if people were brave enough to do what needs to be done.

If we just had the pure force of will to do what needs to be done we could end college rapes swiftly! All we need to do is…what? Have the courage of your jackboots and come right on out and say what you mean. Advocating violent vigilantism with a nudge and a wink stinks not only of cowardice and authoritarianism.

I think the bigger problem with what you’re suggesting, Marz, is that you’re attacking a symptom without considering the precipitating factors. Rape is a complex crime that comes from a lot of different drives, perceptions, and attitudes coming together to allow a perpetrator to convince himself that he has the right. A big part of that is how society views and treats women. Another big part of that is how society tells men to deal with problems. Society tells us that women are weak and in need of protection, but included in that message is that women are inferior. The same thing that whips up a protective instinct in you lets a rapist see a woman as inhuman enough to be an object upon which he make take out his competing sexual and aggressive drives. Society also tells us that men ought to respond to problems with force, because strength (and, by extension, dominance) is a condition of worth. You take that message and talk about being ‘brave enough to do what needs to be done,” a rapist hears that might makes right.

In both cases what you have is a proposed response to campus rape that accepts the social messages which incite it. You take the focus from the victim, you devote resources to (likely male) revenge, you respond to aggression with aggression. You reinforce those social values which served to foment the crime in your response. You do this because you believe that an act which is essentially about violent dominance will somehow be curbed if you are violent and dominant enough to scare the inferior beasts away. What you fail to consider is that you’re just training better beasts.

Rape prevention on college campuses is multifaceted and needs to be considered at all levels for it to produce change. Most of this work, though, is projected to women’s centers (or something similar) and is not considered a campus crisis for all to take initiative.

Another point of agreement I have with Ashley is that it absolutely needs a radical commitment and ideology to social justice. Unfortunately, most institutions of higher ed do lip service in this department, but student activism can never be overestimated!

But there have been cases where victims go to the school first, and this ends up being a big mistake. Basically, they end up taking advantage of the victim by telling her the school will take care of it. Sure, they may help her out as far as seeking therapy, entering programs, etc. But their main goal is to make sure that the victim does NOT under any circumstances press charges or bring negative attention onto the school. As i said, this is a form of complicity.

College rapes could end in a matter of months, or even weeks, if people were brave enough to do what needs to be done. I’ve known plenty of bad guys; rapists, murderers, drug dealers, sociopaths, etc. And let me tell you… a snarky slogan or funny little sketch isn’t exactly going to get the job done. Making this issue humorous is a bad idea.

Just look at other struggles in our nation’s history. Look at the workers’ struggle or slavery. They did what had to be done. They didn’t make light of their plight in order to make things a bit less tense. That’s just frivolous. They did what they had to do. You get a few brave people to do what they SHOULD do. That attracts media attention. Others follow their lead. And watch as the rates dwindle.

Second, students graduate after four years, and they are busy. It is very difficult to keep a sexual assault prevention program afloat and of consistent quality through constant student turnover, especially if no one is being paid for their efforts.

Sexual assault prevention is a difficult, complex field, and the person doing it should be trained and paid full-time. They should be reading all the latest research on what works and what doesn’t, and they should know all about the various prevention programs out there. Personally, I’d add that they should be pretty radical if you really want their efforts to work (one thing I’d note about Lisa’s suggestion to find your local sexual assault coordinator is that often, rape crisis center employees/volunteers lack the kind of radical analysis I feel is necessary for effectiveness–it’s good to contact whoever is in your area, but be aware that people in the field have varying levels of commitment to radical social change).

I think that the job of students is ensuring that each college funds prevention staff and programming, not trying to provide the programming themselves.

And SAFER, the group I work with, trains students in the organizing skills that can help them pressure their colleges to fund and implement such programs.

My other suggestions would be to get in touch with your Universities Women’s Center (if you are fortunate enough to have one), if not, check with your Universities Health Educator, Counseling Dept, or Victims Support Services. These office are made to be a resource to students and as someone working in higher ed i can say that we rely on student interest and involvement to see change on campus.

Since you’re on a campus, there should be a sexual assault counselor, maybe they could help you find what’s already going on at your school or start something up like a student group