Can't assume that universities are worse for sexual violence

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Some activism in universities is based on the idea of an epidemic of sexual violence in universities, and there is a Particular culture around it.

Yet the figure for 1995 to 2013 show that reported sexual assault is less than outside universities and isn't implying an epidemic. It was less that 1%.



You could argue that university students are less likely to report. I'm not sure how you determine that. I can think of some reasons, however I can apply these to other examples not in the university setting.

So to me it must be an unknown.

Some of the social science that was used to defend this idea includes definitions of sexual assault that fall outside of the legal definition.

The yes mean yes is well meaning, and is good advice. However the law is no, mean no for sound reasons. Some behind yes mean yes literature on a state/county level the tried to make a legal requirement of distribution on campus, implying that the laws was yes mean yes, and some people seem to think it is.

The 1 in 5 figure is unsubstantiated.

If two people are engaging is sexual activity without violence or coercion the are a compos mentis / aware of what is happening and able to consent, then under the law they have consented. If you could argue this is not the case, you could argue that neither have consented, and they have sexually assaulted each other.

I think this is important not becuase I don't think we should be doing something about sexual assault, but becuase i think nationwide approaches to talking sexual assault are more important, rather then assuming an epidemic an particular setting based on little evidence and stereotypes.

Some people will say this diminish the experience of victims, however what about he victims outside that setting?

Yes they may be some specific behaviors to look out for in a particular settings, but there will be profiles an modus, that will operate across any number of settings. So dealing with universities in isolation is foolish.

Also some of these criminals have pathological issues. Education and is important, but many of these people know what they are doing is wrong already. So it not just a question of telling them not to do it. People do need to learn to respect boundaries, however they idea that majority of adults in a large demography need to be taught not to rape doesn't make sense. Rapists are not a majority.

sources:
http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/rsavcaf9513.pdf

And the point of this psychobabble is???????

Your profile shows you are from "London", I will assume England and may not be familiar with US universities.

Many universities in the US have self-contained campuses at which students not only attend lectures, but also sleep, eat, attend concerts and cinema, etc. An example would be the University of Idaho in Moscow, which has an "undergraduate" population of approximately 10,000 whereas the population of Moscow is a bit over twice that.

So you have a group of 18-22 year-olds with little responsibility beyond study, living away from their parents for the first time, and free to have sex with whomever they wish. Plus the high legal drinking age means that alcohol is consumed in private and primarily for the intoxicating effect.

You can well imagine that in such an environment, young folks go a little crazy, I don't think I really need to explain in detail. Quite often, one or the other loses control (if male then they can easily be accused of rape ex posteriori) or there are regrets, or the fact that excessive alcohol consumption was involved, and you get the general idea.

So this study having been conducted in the US, the numbers given shouldn't surprise anyone. Of course, it can all be seen as a matter of semantics, but that's a different discussion.

Not really understanding the unnecessarily patronising responses. Too challenging subject?

I'm well aware of what goes on in universities. Including US frat culture. I also understand UK university culture which has some similarities and differences.

The evidence doesn't confirm the assumption that universities are worse for sexual violence, despite the perception. That is the point. These are US statistics.

I also hinted at the point, which is if you make assumptions about certain types of crimes you divert resources and expertise from where they are needed.

Assumptions and perceptions about crime are very common place. It is something that criminologists are well aware of. So regardless for what you perceive a culture to be like you should still follow the evidence.

The point is that their has been a movement with universities recently which has pushed draconian ideas like segregation, and censorship. Using ideas such as "safe spaces" and the misappropriation of PTSD. Expert in trauma don't condone either the use of safe spaces for treatment of PTSD. They also point out the PTSD is only one possible outcome of traumatic events, it is far from enviable, and this label has been abused for political ends.

Part of the narrative is an "epidemic" in sexual violence in universities. Whether or not people are freer sexually in university is different question to if. You can't assume that is that has got worse of it is at epidemic levels.

The other point is sexual violence need to seen with the specificity of the offense and in the wider context. Only seeing this in the context of a university culture, risks misunderstanding the pathology of sexual offenders.

The 1 in 5 figure comes from surveys taken at several universities.

They included forced kissing as sexual assault, along with touching -a separate category for groping- so I can't imagine what sexual assault in the form of touching consists of.

So, outside of university women are 1.2 -1.9 times more likely to be the victim of a sexual crime , probably because sexual assault in university is mostly just prank type stuff like stealing a kiss

In the report comparing students to non students the definition of sexual assault is the proper legal definition
No kissing or touching is included, just groping.

If you go on Google and look for sexual assault at university you see stories of men taking universities to court for not allowing them due process.

I could never understand how rapists can stand themselves. If I was capable of raping someone I would feel terrible at using someone that way. But some people seem to be pleased at having been able to get away with it. I mean, the whole "get her drunk and have sex" thing. Is sex really more important than respect for another person?

If someone started out with that intent at the start of the night that would be sinister,
There are drunken hookups where both parties are drunk and then the male is accused of rape to avoid embarrassment.

Taking advantage of someone's incapacity is wrong and is in my opinion the result of a criminal or sick mind.

The stat of 1 in 5 sexually assaulted in college is a large number,
It causes worried professors to deny due process to men and to hold 'teach men not to rape classes'

The stat is inflated and misleading though as indicated by kissing and any unwanted touching *being considered sexual assault.

*Unwanted touching could be someone putting their arm around someone without asking.

It's been proven that sexual assault is more likely for non students.
So any attempts to lower sexual assault should be concentrated on the world outside of college more.