Sexual assault on campus: Don’t forget the small stuff

I am fortunate enough to have never experienced rape. I do not know the pain that comes with the experience, nor do I have the perspective to truly understand how it changes you as a person.

But, I have felt uncomfortable before.

I have white-knuckled my phone walking through a parking garage, 911 already pre-dialed. I have had to throw away a drink because I cannot trust that it hasn’t been spiked. I have politely declined a drunken invitation and left, hoping that I won’t be followed.

Yes, I am one of the lucky ones to have not experienced sexual violence, but is that good enough? Should women have to accept the current level of disrespect, because “it’s college,” “boys will be boys,” and “I should really just take it as a compliment” when someone touches me without permission at a party?Obviously, sexual assault happens everywhere, but recent news and student activism have spotlighted the fact that the issue does appear to have a positive correlation to college students. There are a number of factors that can explain why the phenomenon is more prevalent on campus, such as alcohol, peer pressure and those underdeveloped frontal lobes, but none of this excuses the behavior.

There are plenty of things to worry about as you prepare for your first semester of college: making those lifelong friendships your parents rave, praying that your roommate doesn’t mind your messiness and figuring out how to make it to a Monday morning class in a timely manner, but what shouldn’t make the list is worrying about being a potential victim of sexual violence.

JMU requires all freshman to complete the Haven program, an online education of sexual violence that must be completed before classes begin. But with this information widely available as well as student-run organizations whose mission is to fight sexual violence, why are sexual aggressions still occurring on our campus?

The staggering truth is that 40% of women raped are between the ages of 18-24, with 50% of college rapes happening to freshman years, and 25% happening to sophomores. Perhaps the most surprising piece of data is that 95% of college rapes go unreported. The pattern of aggression towards women might seem too large of an issue to tackle, but what is seemingly small are tactics called microaggressions.

Microaggressions are “the everyday verbal, nonverbal, and environmental slights, snubs, or insults, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative messages to target persons based solely upon their marginalized group membership” according to a study done by UCLA.

Microaggressions happen every day and can be easily stopped provided they are recognized and called to attention. What can appear as “just a joke” or someone being “friendly” can actually confirm the idea that women are somehow less valuable and therefore fair game for sexist behavior.

Becca Sullivan, freshman art major at JMU, says she often experiences microaggressions in social settings such as frat parties.

“A few nights ago, these two guys came up to my friend and I and tried to dance with us without even asking. We both have boyfriends so we felt uncomfortable. They just grabbed us from behind. Plus, they could have saved themselves an awkward moment by just asking instead of assuming.”

Although microaggressions are experienced at parties, they are also present in the classroom. I often have the experience of being overshadowed in all- male group projects simply because I am the only female, and therefore automatically the odd man out and considered the least valuable team member.

I was curious about microaggressions, so I went to my Sociology 110 Professor, Dr. PeeksMease, and asked him, “How do you think microaggressions contribute to the overall attitude of sexual assault?”

“There’s this group of males that wonder ‘how do I go about getting sexual consent?’ and I think a lot of that involves what you’re referring to, microaggressions, but we don’t see it as such” he replied.

I then asked him how well he thinks the school is combating the issue.

“I think we need more professors willing to talk about it [sexual aggression] in class, but also be knowledgeable about it. It’s not an easy topic to cover, but I’m somebody who likes to take risks in class because I think the benefits far outweigh the risks” he said.

“I’d really like to see more men involved. There’s not enough men who say ‘hey, this is an issue we want to take on,’ and I think that’s a sad thing. I would love to see more of that on college campuses.”

For a list of resources, visit JMU’s Sexual Assault Resources Page.