THE TERM sexual assault carries with it connotations making it very hard to discuss, if for no other reason because people think they know what it means. The truth of the matter, though, is that the term sexual assault does not give a complete picture of the problem.
Addressing the problem of sexual assault in the current manner is problematic. First, the term "sexual assault" does not accurately describe the whole problem. To illustrate this: Sexual assault is defined by the University's Procedures for Cases of Sexual Assault as an intentional act typically involving violence, force, non-consent, or intentionally impairing someone's judgment. If you were to ask a random sample of University students, this is how they would probably define the problem -- i.e. essentially boiling it down to rape.
This definition is convenient because so long as you yourself are not a rapist it is easy to conclude that there is little you can do about it -- after all, if you actually witnessed a rape taking place, you would intervene or call for help. If you don't witness a rape in progress, what can you do? Randomly knock on people's doors just to make sure they're okay? This method is obviously neither feasible nor effective, so again it seems like there is little any individual can do.
The problem with this narrow view, however, is that it ignores the many more accessible aspects of sexual assault. For instance, talking about sexual assault and just that is the wrong way to go because you leave out sexual misconduct, its more prevalent cousin. Sexual misconduct, according to the University, is "when the act is committed without intent to harm another" because "a person believes unreasonably that effective consent was given," and it does not involve violence, force, etc. This is a much better starting point for a sexual assault discussion because it allows us to look at the problem from a much wider angle.
If you are worried about sexual misconduct, there is much more that you as an individual can do about it. For example, although it is likely that you have a friend or acquaintance who was raped in college, it is still more likely that you know someone who has been a victim of sexual misconduct. This can range from inappropriate touching on a dance floor, to having sex with an intoxicated person, or even to making an inappropriate joke.
Take the following examples of sexual misconduct: First, your friend was recently at a party and went home with a girl who was extremely intoxicated. They had sex and she consented to it. Appropriate? No, not at all. According to Virginia state law, anyone who is intoxicated or whose judgment is impaired is not capable of giving consent. Another example: You are walking with two friends discussing a difficult midterm. One of the friends says "wow, that test really raped me," and you laugh and agree. Appropriate? No, not at all. Unbeknownst to the two of you, the sister of your second friend was raped. Both of these situations are not only common but are usually tolerated in the University community.
In order to deal with the problem of sexual assault, one must recognize and address the underlying problem of sexual misconduct. But to address sexual misconduct, one must look at what makes certain things permissible. Take a rape joke, for example. Everyone hears them, yet few stop to think about what they really mean -- much less to confront the person saying it. Stop and think, however: How could taking that difficult midterm even begin to compare to the physical and emotional trauma of being raped?
We commonly use the term "rape culture" to address why society does not think twice about the joke's meaning. Similarly, the term "hook-up culture" describes the societal pressure put on people to hook up with someone at a social event. Chris Elliot, of the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, described a situation where two people make eye contact across a party, and some sort of unspoken invitation is given. Yet as he pointed out this is in no way consent. There "needs to be confirmation, something spoken." Yet here again, we see the same problem associated with sexual assault -- how do you change the very culture of society?
The truth is that you are a part of society, and as such you can affect those around you. Confront your friend about comparing a big midterm to rape, or stop that person from trying to hook up while intoxicated. Even if just one person takes notice and stops to think about the problem, then you have accomplished something.
Just as importantly, take a wider view of the issue and stop to think about the deeper meaning of the terms used to describe it. It is easy to simply acknowledge that there is a problem and to assume that there is little an individual can do about it. It is much more effective to take a broader view and to realize that change begins with just one person.
Allan Cruickshanks is a Cavalier Daily associate editor and chairman of the IFC-ISC Joint Committee Against Sexual Assault. He can be reached at acruickshanks@cavalierdaily.com.
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