Date Rape on Campus

You are young, smart, and fortunate to be attending college. While this is an amazing time for college-aged females, the frightening reality is that college-age women make up the highest demographic for victims of sexual assault. One in four college women have survived rape or attempted rape.

What’s worse, the majority of these victims are afraid to report the incident, according to the US Department of Justice. The vast majority of these are classified as acquaintance rape or date rape, referring to a sexual assault by a person known to the survivor. In fact, 84 percent to 97 percent of sexual assault on college campuses is committed by someone known to the survivor. A growing number of these assaults involve women being slipped a date-rape drug such as GHB or “roofies.”

So what can we do about these frightening statistics? College provides invaluable life experience for both women and men — but higher education shouldn’t correlate with a higher likelihood of being a victim of sexual assault.

I can’t state this fact enough: abuse is never the fault of the victim. As a culture, we need to treat all survivors of sexual assault with comfort and understanding.

Use your awareness of the dangers as motivation to help you follow good practices for partying. Here are steps you can take to keep yourself out of harm’s way:

As with all things, trust your instincts. If a situation becomes uncomfortable for you, particularly if your partner is not respecting your clearly expressed limits, is attempting to cajole you into exceeding those limits, is attempting to control you, or is becoming forceful or belligerent — remove yourself from the situation immediately. Understand that if a scenario has proceeded to this point, you might need to be rude, scream, or even use force to get yourself out of it. Don't hesitate to do so, and once you've removed yourself from the situation, get to a safe place and seek help immediately.

Use the buddy system. Go with at least one friend when heading out to a party or club, and don’t abandon your buddy unless you are certain that you are both safe. Make a plan before you go out about who you'll be with, how much you plan to drink, and how and when you plan to get home. Then share that plan with a friend who will be there so you can mutually keep track of each other.

Take rumors and gossip to heart. If you hear rumors or gossip that drinks at a certain club or fraternity party may be tainted, consider these rumors seriously and either don't go to the club or party or, if you’re already there, leave immediately. Remember that these drugs are virtually undetectable, and you may not know you’ve been drugged until it’s too late.

Get your own drinks. Although it may be flattering and romantic to allow others to buy drinks for you, do not accept drinks from strangers and do not assume that the bartender is beyond reproach. When getting a drink or buying a round, watch the bartender pour your drink and then take your order yourself — don't allow someone else to deliver it to you.

Don't leave your drink unattended. Don't leave your drink unattended while you dance or go to the bathroom. Doing so allows more than sufficient opportunity for someone who has been watching you to tamper with your drink while you are away; he can then appear later and take advantage of you. Take your drink with you or leave it with a friend you trust.

Don’t drink from common sources. Pitchers, punch bowls, and Jell-O shots all provide someone with bad intentions the perfect opportunity to slip something into a serving. Be extremely vigilant when consuming from these sources.

Remember, perpetrators can be manipulative and malevolent, outwitting even the wisest college students, and, of course, some are college students themselves. An attacker can prevail, even if you take every possible precaution. Always remember; it’s never the victim’s fault!