College is a place for students to learn and socialize with peers. However, rape is common on college campuses. With 54% of all rape instances not being reported, you’d hope that colleges would work to make the whole process better at helping victims. This is not the case at many colleges, where victims can be made to feel at fault and punishment of rapists to be mediocre. As an article on thenation.com illustrates, statistics of rape are being changed by schools to reflect a more positive view of colleges. Another article by Allie Grasgreen speaks specifically about UNC and their battle with a student who reported a rape. Student Landen Gambill is being charged with violating the honor code because by reporting her rape she is displaying “Disruptive or intimidating behavior that willfully abuses, disparages, or otherwise interferes with another”. Gambill already had run ins with the high honor court at UNC when she reported her abusive boyfriend. The peers on the court blamed her for staying with the abuser. Other girls have experiences at UNC dealing with their mishandlings of rape reports. The school often blames the victim for the rape and in one case told a girl she was lazy for withdrawing due to PTSD. Colleges should be advocates for their own students, but are being influenced by societies’ skewed views on sexual assault. As an institution they are also trying to downplay the amount of sexual assault happening among its students which furthers misconceptions about rape. Another startling fact at colleges like UNC is that when rape reports are investigated, the rapist almost never gets expelled and their only punishment is to “write a research paper on rape or have the rapist pen a letter of apology to his victims”. Hopefully as more people are educated about rape, students themselves will push for better sexual assault policies on their campuses.

Below are the links to the two articles referenced above:

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/02/26/unc-charged-student-honor-code-violation-discussing-her-rape-allegation

http://www.thenation.com/blog/172299/no-justice-college-rape-victims#