What will you or did you worry about when you went to college? Workload? Grades? Career? What about rape? Growing numbers of students are being assaulted on their own campuses and many question if colleges are doing enough to deter these attacks and help victims. Schools have responded to these criticisms by implementing educational programs and workshops to further students’ understanding of rape and consent. But those classes can be flawed and do not address the faulty administrative procedure for handling rape, its victims, and its offenders. Colleges are actively making strides in the campus rape problem, but they are still not doing enough. Campus rape needs to be addressed. Rape rates for college students have reached concerning
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They have been implementing bystander training intervention programs to teach students how to react in dangerous situations. Most of these programs begin with the "three Ds of taking action: Direct, Distract, Delegate," which are taught to incoming freshmen and resident assistants. Direct involves actively interfering when someone is getting too close to a drunk friend and showing disapproval and contempt towards predatory behavior. For example, glaring at someone who looks suspicious or pulling an inebriated friend away from a stranger are both part of the direct initiative. Distract, on other hand, involves defusing a situation by giving the person at risk a way out. This would include telling the drunk friend that someone is looking for her or even just asking where the bathroom is. Distract serves to bring people back to reality, especially if they are lost in the fervor of a party or a club. Finally, Delegate involves getting help, either from a resident assistant, a security guard, or the police. These bystander intervention training programs not only prevent individual assaults, but also break down rape culture. Rape culture is when a society normalizes sexual aggression and violence while holding victims responsible for assault. The direct aspect, for example, also includes calling out rape jokes. This shows to whoever is around that rape is not funny and should be taken seriously. The distract aspect includes changing the subject when a conversation gets sexist, too. This shows clear disapproval and proves to the offender that his behavior will not be tolerated. To enforce these policies, the One Student program, an example of a bystander program, includes a pledge to respect, discuss, and practice consent, as well as safely intervene in risky situations (Harding 57-59). Another bystander program is the Know Your Power Bystander Social Marketing Campaign, developed by University of New
They have been implementing bystander training intervention programs to teach students how to react in dangerous situations. Most of these programs begin with the "three Ds of taking action: Direct, Distract, Delegate," which are taught to incoming freshmen and resident assistants. Direct involves actively interfering when someone is getting too close to a drunk friend and showing disapproval and contempt towards predatory behavior. For example, glaring at someone who looks suspicious or pulling an inebriated friend away from a stranger are both part of the direct initiative. Distract, on other hand, involves defusing a situation by giving the person at risk a way out. This would include telling the drunk friend that someone is looking for her or even just asking where the bathroom is. Distract serves to bring people back to reality, especially if they are lost in the fervor of a party or a club. Finally, Delegate involves getting help, either from a resident assistant, a security guard, or the police. These bystander intervention training programs not only prevent individual assaults, but also break down rape culture. Rape culture is when a society normalizes sexual aggression and violence while holding victims responsible for assault. The direct aspect, for example, also includes calling out rape jokes. This shows to whoever is around that rape is not funny and should be taken seriously. The distract aspect includes changing the subject when a conversation gets sexist, too. This shows clear disapproval and proves to the offender that his behavior will not be tolerated. To enforce these policies, the One Student program, an example of a bystander program, includes a pledge to respect, discuss, and practice consent, as well as safely intervene in risky situations (Harding 57-59). Another bystander program is the Know Your Power Bystander Social Marketing Campaign, developed by University of New