With so many people getting ready to start college this fall, it’s about time that we talk about one of college campuses’ biggest problems— consent. Towards the end of last school year, I had the pleasure of talking to Merit Pinker from Rhodes College’s own consent campaign (Culture of Consent) in my hometown Memphis, Tennessee. She and a group of other students started a consent campaign that shares the stories of rape and abuse survivors that attend their college. The movement has a large following on Facebook and has even had their pictures used (wrongly) by Feminist Culture. Thankfully Merit and the rest of the board were all willing to answer some of my questions and in turn, give you new and returning college students some helpful knowledge on what consent means, why you need to talk about it, and why movements like Culture of Consent are important.
What made you want to start this movement? Did you think that it would bring in as many survivors and victims as it has?
We were originally inspired by a similar movement called Breaking Out that started at Duke University, and felt this campaign would help us personalize the issues of sexual assault and dating violence on our campus. We wanted to provide an outlet through which Rhodes students could speak out about their sexual and dating violence experiences as a means of self-empowerment, breaking the stigma around sexual and dating violence that silences survivors, and adding fire to the much-needed conversation about this problem and how it affects the Rhodes community. While a lot of people are troubled by the issue, they seem to think of it as somebody else’s problem, instead of something that happens to people they personally know and interact with on a frequent basis. Our goal was to show our campus that this is an issue affecting the people they see every day, the people they go to class with, and even some of their closest friends, and it needs to be addressed.
While statistically the number of Speaking Out participants we had makes sense, we were extremely surprised by the number of students who were willing to share their stories. Based on the participation in similar campaigns on other campuses, we expected that about 15-20 students would be a part of Rhodes Speaking Out. Instead, we had 60 students share their experiences through this campaign. The incredible turnout was both saddening and inspiring; saddening because of the unexpectedly high number of students who had been assaulted or abused and came forward, but also uplifting because so many students wanted to break the silence and contribute to this conversation and were not ashamed to speak out about their experience. This campaign was like a megaphone for survivors who had continually been silenced and shamed and felt like they could speak about their experience no louder than a whisper. We are so happy to have been able to offer a voice to the students on our campus who had never had a means with which to share their story before. It was amazing to see the ripple effect of this campaign; every student who came forward to speak out about their experience with sexual assault or dating violence inspired even more students to come forward.
How do you think college campuses can do a better job of protecting its students from sexual assault and abuse and to better serve those who have already fallen victim to it?
College campuses need to stop protecting and making excuses for perpetrators. It’s more an issue of mindset than anything else. College administrations across the nation need to change the way they think about sexual assault, and understand that the safety of their students is more important than whatever monetary or publicity incentives are refraining them from taking action. The most important change that needs to happen is shifting the perception of who is at fault. Victim-blaming is normalized in our society and at our colleges and universities. It is so important to increase understanding that when someone is raped or sexually assaulted, the only person at fault is the perpetrator. Investigators need to stop asking questions like, “How many drinks did you have?” and “What were you wearing?”. The focus of education surrounding sexual assault needs to shift away from teaching “How to not get raped” and towards teaching “This is what rape and sexual assault are, this is how it hurts survivors, and this is why you should never do this to another human being.” Even though it might seem helpful to teach women these tactics for keeping themselves safe, culturally it does a lot more harm than good. The fear of “ruining a perpetrator’s life” keeps administrators from justly reprimanding students who are found in violation of committing sexual assault. This needs to stop. The fact that guilt is determined through preponderance of evidence rather than a criminal trial does not mean sexual assault ceases to be a crime. When a student is found in violation of rape and is given only minor sanctions, it communicates to both the perpetrator and the victim that rape is not a big deal. Rape is a big deal, and perpetrators should face consequences for committing a heinous crime and traumatizing another human being.
We believe that continued sexual assault education is a crucial step in developing a community that does not tolerate sexual assault. This education should include a full spectrum of programs such as Sexual Misconduct Policy education, an effective men’s rape prevention program, rape culture awareness, affirmative consent education, empathetic understanding, healthy masculinity education, and bystander intervention training. Culture of Consent has developed and presented two different education programs, one to a local high school, and one to a fraternity on campus who was proactive in seeking out education for their members.
In terms of immediate action, colleges need to reevaluate their priorities and decide which students they are looking out for. The investigation and hearing process for reported sexual misconduct must be remodeled so that schools are fully compliant with Title IX and Clery Act. Additionally, they need to provide safe spaces and resources for survivors, they need to evaluate the adequacy of administrators and staff who interact and provide support to survivors, and they need to create an environment that encourages reporting of sexual misconduct.
Do you think there’s a reason people are always hesitant to talk about rape on college campuses? Why?
There are a number of reasons why people may feel uncomfortable talking about rape. Firstly, a significant amount of colleges do not even recognize rape as a major issue. A survey last year by Inside Higher Edfound that only 6% of college presidents believe that sexual assault is prevalent on their campus. When the issue is not being validated by the people at the top, it contributes to a culture of silence among the students. Once the issue is addressed by administration in an effective way, it becomes real. Another reason rape is an uncomfortable subject for many is that discussions about it can be triggering for survivors, so being cautious in that regard isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Some may feel that the discussion doesn’t concern them, and therefore don’t feel the need to talk about it. Rape is an awful subject that nobody wants to think or talk about. It is easy to turn a blind eye and pretend it isn’t happening. But it is happening, and it isn’t going to stop happening unless something changes.
What do you have to say to survivors who aren’t ready to talk about their experiences yet?
We want people to know that it’s okay to not want to share your story. It’s also okay to not be okay. People heal and find closure at different rates and in different ways. For some people, sharing their story is a part of healing and reconciling with what they experience, but that’s not the case for everyone. Choosing not to share now (or not at all) does not mean you are shirking an obligation to others who have had similar experiences. The only obligation you have is to yourself and whatever it takes to take care of you. Even if you haven’t shared your story, we are fighting for you because you deserve to be loved and respected, and you deserve to feel comfortable and safe. Whether you choose to speak up down the road or not, we hope you know that there are people out there who support you regardless.
To check out Culture of Consent, click here! To find some other articles on sexual assault and abuse, check out these links here, here and here!
