Till It Happens to You

Till it Happens to You

How does a person tell a woman that getting raped was her fault, and if that is not worse enough, tell her she needs to keep quiet and just let it go?

     Every year, thousands of students attend colleges all throughout the U.S, taking classes, going to parties, and overall just enjoying the college experience. No one ever expects to be grabbed by what seems to be a “nice guy” and forced against their own will, only to wait and be still as the man at the fun fraternity party rapes them.

     This is not a rare occurrence. Multiple women, and even men, go through the terrible trauma of being sexually assaulted. The aftermath of these encounters is very unnerving, the victim having a constant fear of their oppressor, symptoms including PTSD and lowered self-esteem, as well as an overall lack of motivation to go to class, sleep, and function like a “normal” human being. Many of the women who are sexually assaulted on campus never tell their story, and the ones who do are usually ignored or blamed themselves by the university, as the university does not want to lose their reputation as well as donors and assets which bring in students and more importantly money. Although many universities make an effort to state the importance of guaranteeing their students a safe and fulfilling college environment, The Hunting Ground explores behind the scenes to portray how this is not the case in most colleges, the documentary using multiple sources of credibility and a major emphasis on pathos to explain how universities are purposely ignoring and silencing the sexual assault cases of their students.   

     Students who report sexual assault to universities learn the hard way that universities are not willing to listen, ignoring and dismissing these cases as false claiming or lacking in evidence, blaming the victim rather than the accused, and doing whatever is necessary to save their reputation and their assets. In 2012, 45% of colleges reported zero rape on their campuses. The documentary presents a list of universities who have had over 100 reported cases of sexual assault in the past few decades but a very limited amount expulsions, Dartmouth college only having 3 expulsions out of 155 reports, Stanford only expelling 1 out of 256 reports, and the University of Virginia having 0 out of 205, even though they had expelled over 200 students for academic purposes. When sexual assault cases are filed and put onto a universities’ record, students are less likely to attend, donors are more likely to pull out, and the overall foundation of the school is altered. The consequences of rape cases can make or break a school, putting the school in a very difficult position of justice or apathetic prejudice. In The Hunting Ground, multiple girls are asked about their experiences when reporting their sexual assaults. These women discussed how universities would ask, instead of addressing how they were raped, what kind of clothes they were wearing, if they were drinking too much, and whether they actually said no. They would even then go as far as to lecture them on how they needed to dress more appropriate, not consume alcohol, and not put themselves in positions where they could possibly get raped. Some universities never answered back to the report, others stating how they forgot, and one even telling the student they should quit college. More than 90% of women who are sexually assaulted never report their tormentors, allowing multiple men to get away.

     By not punishing the rapist, universities are sending a message in which rape is not a problem to be addressed and men who rape have nothing to be worried about. In the film, Dr. David Lisak discusses how less than 8% of men in college commit more than 90% of sexual assaults, men realizing there are no consequences for their actions, raping different women over and over again. The previous assistant Dean of the University of North Carolina, Melinda Manning, discussed how multiple survivors had come to her to about over 100 sexual assaults and many of the accused men were the same from different accounts. Caroline Heldman, a professor at Occidental College, explained how one of the men which had been accused by a recent student matched the sexual assault cases of two other previous students. Testimonies from rape victims stated how they knew a range of 1 to 4 other girls who had been raped by the same man and had even reported these men to the school, but the university had done nothing to resolve the issue. Due to the negligence of the school to confront these rape cases and expel these students, based upon their own selfish greed and reputation, these men are able to walk freely among campus and sexually assault multiple women, creating an unsafe and fearful environment for their students.

     The majority of the men who are repeat assaulters are involved in fraternities and athletic programs, multiple cases of sexual assault being reported against them but universities dismissing these claims, as these organizations do not only promote their school, but much of the money and accreditation universities receive come from the students involved. The documentary discusses multiple problems which have occured at different fraternities, women creating names like “sexual assault expected” for Sigma Alpha Epsilon at Dartmouth College, as well as the documentary explaining an incident where a Harvard fraternity went to the girls’ dorms and shouted “No means Yes. Yes means Anal.” Andrew Lohse, former SAE member at Dartmouth, explains how the goal of the fraternity parties were to get women wasted and to then have sex with them.






     In athletics, men were able to get away with rape frequently as they were seen as more valuable to the school. Erika Kinsman describes how she was raped by quarterback Jameis Winston at Florida State, and although she had evidence to prove him guilty, the school and police department would not help her, as Jameis was expected to take them to nationals. Jameis was never convicted, just like many other athletes who were able to bypass the system due to their position.

     Fraternities and athletes are able to rape women without consequences, as they are a necessity to a school’s success, Fraternities majorly promoting new students to the school as well as 60% of donations of more than 100 million dollars made to universities comes from fraternity alumni, while successful college athletes bring universities honor and credibility, raising their rank and reputation.

     Every year, one in five women are sexually assaulted on college campuses. If universities continue to give rape the cold shoulder and allow terrible men, men who may be champion-winning athletes or rich frat boys whose parents are huge donors, to assault innocent women, there will never be justice and hundreds of more incoming students will assume their own inevitable fate. Universities will always be telling women that their lives do not matter, and women will sooner or later start to believe it.

     Universities need to wake up and realize the bottom dollar is never more important than the life of a student.