Examining Sexual Assault on College Campuses

In this project, I plan to investigate the prevalence of sexual assault on college campuses as well as the systems and procedures in place to address it. I will focus on the role power has in this issue, including the powerful men on campus such as athletes and fraternity members as well as the ones in power who determine the punishments and actions taken against the perpetrators. The influence of those in power often goes unnoticed in our society because it has become so intertwined with our culture. It starts at an early age and may seem to be harmless, but these teachings and values help create rape myths and perpetuate a rape culture that is especially prevalent on college campuses. Statistics from the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network show that " every two minutes in the United States, someone is raped, and the chances of being that victim are four times greater for a female college student than for any other age group " (Burnett et. al, 2009). Cal Poly is no exception to this statistic. Although I will be expanding my research beyond Cal Poly's campus, I will be sure to investigate the prevalence of sexual assault on our campus as well as the existence of a rape culture influenced by those in power. This source includes a unique study on the different perceptions of date rape according to the type of date and how expensive it was. This study is based on the principles of sexual social exchange theory as it is applied to current western dating traditions. According to this theory, men pay for dates, and women are expected to reciprocate with sexual favors. If a woman is forced into these sexual favors, it is often justified in our society because the woman " owed " the man. The results of the study supported the hypothesis that the most costly dates would correlate with the greatest expectations for sexual activity. The authors also found that the participants who most agreed with these beliefs were those with greater acceptance of rape myths. This study is especially useful for my paper because it is very current and is centered around dating trends that are common among college students today and explains how rape myths affect these traditions and influence perceptions of rape. This book provides an overview of sexual assault on campus and the myths surrounding it. …