BU’s sexual misconduct survey: What the results tell us

Last year, Boston University surveyed students, asking about their experiences with sexual misconduct. About 22 percent of the campus responded, showing numbers that reveal the dangerous truth about sexual misbehavior on campus.

The results, which came out in mid-September, came as a shock to a few; however, others considered them sadly predictable.

The numbers in the survey reflect the experiences of the respondents.

These numbers show that one in six Boston University students experience some form of sexual assault.

This number increases as you look at the percentage of women and non-binary people sexually assaulted. What can be the cause of such high numbers?

Roosendy Saint-Fort, a Biology major in CAS from Boston said that the number made him upset and uncomfortable.

He said: “I have two sisters, and one is in college…she is off-campus a lot.

“I don’t feel less safe personally because I am a male, but I worry about others.

“College students feel they need to be sexually active, and when they lose control, someone with bad intentions can take advantage”.

One significant factor seems to be the overwhelming presence of careless drinking on campus. The majority of these instances were alcohol-related.

Of the respondents that experienced sexual assault, 78 percent reported that they had been drinking and 86 percent reported that their assailant(s) had been drinking at the time of the assault.

Mike Winters, a Computer Science major in CAS from Washington DC, attributes this to the fact that many people enter college without fully developing.

He said: “People are on their own for the first time, they have a lot of freedom, but they are not mentally mature yet.”

He believes that many are either drinking for the first time or drink more than they have before because there is nobody to stop them. He also believes that these high numbers come from the “societal pressure to be sexually active”. This paired with excessive drinking causes people to lose inhibitions and act on impulses that they would have been able to suppress before.

Is sexual assault a product of a society that pressures adolescents to drink and be sexually active to fit in?

When DeeDee Ogbogu, a Neurology major in CAS from Los Angeles, saw the high numbers of sexual assault, she said, “they don’t shock me”. She said it was because the issue of sexual assault is prevalent in newspapers, on TV, and on the internet.

She believes that there is an attitude among certain people that force makes it ok to invade another person’s space, “especially if they won’t be punished or held responsible”.

Deedee knocked on wood as she expressed her hope that there would be someone to intervene on her behalf if she were to be in a dangerous situation.

Other students think that this is much more of a cultural problem.

Will Tengtio, a Classics and Archeology major in CAS from Zurich, was not surprised by the results, especially those involving substance abuse. He claims that it has do with a culture that teaches “how to not be a victim rather than how to not be a perpetrator”. He says that these behaviors are taught in adolescence and enforced as people mature into their college years.

Because this is a cultural issue, it cannot be taught in schools.

Deniz Hallik, an Economics/Math and Politics/Philosophy major in CAS from Ankara, Turkey, also thinks that it has to do with people’s upbringing.

She said: “Social culture has built a notion that men seem more powerful when they can control or have a woman.

“If people know the actual definition of sexual harassment, the number would be lower”.

Tara Derosa, an undecided student in CAS from Long Island, NY, believes that we can solve this problem by “encouraging victims to speak out more”. The results of the survey show that many victims did not seek out assistance after the assault.

Only 84 percent responded that they had shared their experience  with at least one confidential resource, while 16 percent did not tell anyone about the incident.

Tara believes that if we do not talk about it, perpetrators will not face consequences.If perpetrators do not fear consequences, sexual assault will not be taken seriously and will continue its predominance on college campuses.

Nevertheless, 94 percent of respondents reported that they feel safe in the Boston University campus.

BU has taken initiative in the last few years to promote sexual misconduct education. At orientation, every incoming students watches a series of skits showing how to act in questionable situations. BU also opened the Sexual Assault Response & Prevention Center (SARP) to raise awareness on campus and to support victims of sexual assault.

Although this is a cause for optimism, there are still many steps that need to be taken to ensure the safety of Boston University students.