The school year is upon us. We have passed yet another Labor Day and bade adieu to our summer jobs, friends and schedules. We have strapped in and taken any vital precautions to prevent unnecessary harm at the hands of the leviathan that is the academic school year.
In fact, it is now the end of September. By this time, most of us are beginning to feel fully settled. But, unbeknowst to us, danger is near.
We have felt out our classes. We know the ones we can miss. We know the ones we must attend. In fact, the way only college students can, we have calculated and employed the minimum amount of homework time required to achieve a satisfactory grade point average, which maximizes time for socializing and imbibing. Life is good.
But there is much potential danger perpetually present each school year.
Problems like rape and sexual harassment are not trivial. On the contrary, they are of the utmost concern on campuses throughout the country.
On May 4, 2003, Melissa “Katie” Autry, a native of Pellville, Ky., and a freshman at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Ky. was beaten, stabbed, raped, doused with hair spray and set on fire in her dorm room following a Pi Kappa Alpha party.
She died three days later.
Instances like these are not isolated to Kentucky or one specific region. Rape and violence is an aberration of human nature. Everyone is susceptible.
In a study compiled for the Department of Justice, it was reported that in a five-year college career, 20 to 25 percent of female students will be the victims of rape.
In fact, according to a Web site titled “Stop Campus Rape,” on a campus that houses 6,000 students, one rape occurs every day throughout the school year. For La Verne, that means a rape, on average, is taking place once every four days throughout the academic year.
And, gentleman, you are not safe either. The Web site states that, “in nine surveys of male university students, between 3 and 6 percent had been raped, and up to 25 percent had been sexually assaulted.”
This brings me to my point: Be aware.
Convicted rapists were asked what they look for in victims. A victim that doesn’t resist and one who won’t recognize her assailant were two of the most common responses.
These situations are easily thwarted. If approached, simply yell, scream, bite or scratch; carry a whistle; carry pepper spray. Rapists do not want to be the center of attention, nor do they want to struggle with their victim. Make it difficult for them, and chances of escape increase dramatically.
In the case of anonymous rape: If you feel in danger, trust your instincts, strike up a conversation with the stranger. If they think you will recognize them, you are less likely to become their victim. Anonymity is the key by which a rapist goes free.
In the case of date rape, as much as you can, thoroughly know and implicitly trust whom you bring back to your rooms. 60 percent of completed campus rapes occur in the victims’ rooms.
Finally, when able, always go places with a friend. Do not use poorly lit walkways if at all possible, etc. Arm yourself with common sense. Help make La Verne the exception.
For more information on campus rape statistics, studies and prevention, go to http://webits3.appstate.edu/apples/life/Rape/stop_rape.htm.
This has been my public service announcement. Take care of yourselves, Leopards.
Matt Paulson, a junior journalism major, is editor in chief of the Campus Times. He can be reached by e-mail at phil6483@comcast.net.
