I remember it was a sunny October afternoon in my high school Contemporary Issues in Health class when my attention was pulled from the floating orange leaves back to the Victims Information Bureau of Suffolk representative speaking: “One in five women will be sexually assaulted in college, and yet 90 percent of sexual assault victims do not report the assault.”
I was enraged, horrified and disgusted, but mostly, I was confused. If you were the victim of a crime, why wouldn’t you report it? It was on that day that my naivete as a high school senior was demolished.
I then entered college, and before I knew it, I had a group of friends that I treasured. We spent late nights sharing our deepest secrets, spilling tears and forming strong female bonds. It was through these late-night talks that seemingly abstract statistics jumped from the paper and came to life: two of my friends had been raped and one was sexually assaulted. Guess how many of these victims, my friends, reported the crimes? Zero.
Although there were many factors contributing to their silence, the prevailing commonality was that they believed nothing would come of it anyway, so why bother dealing with the embarrassment? These three young women, all under the age of 21, were the victims of horrid crimes, yet they had no one to turn to because they lost faith in the justice system. In a world where there are people like Brock Turner, who served only a three-month jail sentence because “20 minutes of action” shouldn’t ruin his entire life, why on earth would any sexual assault victim put themselves through the traumatic experience of a trial that will not lead to justice?
Enter U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos: a woman, a mother, a friend. DeVos, upon review of the Obama-era sexual assault guideline addition to Title IX, decided that removing the guidelines for campuses was the best decision for this massive problem. Her reasoning: to prevent false accusations from ruining the future of the accused. With 90 percent of victims silenced, we should be working to create a climate where sexual assault victims can report their crimes with confidence that the justice they deserve will come to fruition. Or better yet, create a climate where people are held accountable for their actions so that the number of sexual assaults permanently declines.
Women, like men, go to college to gain an education and a successful future. The difference is that women — who make up the majority of sexual assault victims — have to fear assault every time they go out to a party, walk alone after dark or enter an elevator when the only other passenger is a man. Furthermore, if they are already the victim of a sexual assault, women must carry the burden of victimhood and fear as they potentially pass the scene of the crime daily.
Now, of course, it is important to note that men are also sexual assault victims and false accusations do exist — one in 71 men will be sexually assaulted. However, with sexual assaults on women occurring on college campuses at near-epidemic levels, the issue needs to be rectified immediately. DeVos’ decision to rescind the college sexual assault guidelines is irresponsible and a deep cut at the thousands of victims who remain silent.
As wonderful as Binghamton University is, even we are not immune to the epidemic of sex-based crimes. But we are BU students — we are the innovators, the creators, the leaders and the voices of tomorrow. If there is anyone who can change the way that crimes are dealt with, it is us. Speak up, stand up and make a difference for your fellow classmates.
Morgan Manganello is a junior majoring in integrative neuroscience.