I’m sure most of you have gotten the dreaded text alerts/emails notifying you about yet another sexual assault. On the Penn State campus we are seeing the number of sexual assault cases grow, making us realize that this is an issue that needs to be confronted immediately or else the reputation of our school is at risk as well as the safety and security of the students here. The deliberation that I attended on Monday made me aware of the growing concerns and offered many potential options for how it can be handled in the future, both through outside sources and through the work of Penn State students themselves. Hopefully in the future, by putting some of these methods into action, we can put an end to sexual assault at Penn State.
The first call to action came in the form of improving security on campus through the use of technology and police task forces. Some changes to technology that were suggested included installing more outdoor lighting, setting up more security cameras, and putting in more blue light systems. After the discussion, it was decided that in theory these were all good suggestions, however they would hardly make an impact on decreasing the number of sexual assault reports. While these technologies may make students feel safer from strangers, they will not prevent sexual assault cases in which the victim knows the perpetrator, which is what occurs in the majority of cases. Also, based on the reports this far into the year, most of the attacks have taken place inside, such as in dorm rooms. Since security cameras would not be allowed inside the dorms as it is a breach of privacy, and the blue light systems would not make sense indoors, the likelihood of these technologies lessening the number of sexual assaults in slim.
On the flip side of security, bringing in police forces was another possible solution discussed. First, the suggestion was made that more auxiliary police forces be stationed around campus, especially at night. While some felt that this would make them feel safer, the majority opinion was that this was a bad idea. The auxiliary police force is made up of students who do not have the power to arrest, but can simply call the actual police to bring in more help. This would not do much, especially if there is a perpetrator on the loose. Also, since these police are mostly students, some as young as freshman, I would hardly think that a sexual assaulter would be intimidated by them. The second suggestion was to have an actual police force brought in from a local company and stationed at the doors of all of the residence halls, checking IDs and making sure situations are under control. This suggestion again was not favorable with the majority of the audience. Many felt that this was an invasion of privacy and would be too much of a hassle every time they entered their building. One great point made was that since there are many different entrances to the residence halls, there would have to be an officer stationed at every single door. Plus, many felt that these police officers would not be able to do much with off-campus assaults. There seemed to be too many loopholes in this suggestion to make anyone seriously consider having a police force on campus.
The second approach discussed in this deliberation was education. How can the students here at Penn State become more informed as to what sexual assault is and how to prevent it? Being informed is one of the best ways prepare yourself for college and life in general. As many of you remember, sexual assault was brought in as part of the discussion during NSO. Unfortunately, it seems that after NSO this information is lost and/or people are not paying enough attention during NSO to absorb the information. Everyone agreed that something had to be done to change this. One suggestion was made to have an “ACT NOW” campaign at the beginning of the year. This would be a week long event, preferably during the first week of school, where students could voluntarily sign up for events that interest them about sexual assault. These events could be anything from plays, to lectures, to discussions. The goal of this campaign is to get people involved in their campus and informed about the sexual assault that takes place around it. Many people found this suggestion to be favorable. It was agreed that if it was voluntarily, there would likely be more people willing to take part in it. The second education option discussed was to have a mandatory sexual assault education class that all freshman would be required to take along with their first semester seminar. This option was not favored at all. Many of the deliberators felt that students would be unwilling to show up to a mandatory class and others felt that it would be too long of a course. The general consensus reached at the end of this approach was that students clearly need to be more informed about how to prevent and handle sexual assault not only for themselves, but also for their friends and peers. However, it was difficult to find one overarching solution that would work.
The final approach to handling sexual assault on campus was to hold some sort of student-run grassroots campaign that would allow people to get involved in bringing attention to the issue and allow people to hear first-hand stories of sexual assault. A singular symbol seen quite often at Penn State is community. The students see themselves as a family and are willing to gather around a common cause if it is important enough to them. Take a look at THON for example. THON started by raising $2,000 in 1973 to raising over $13 million in 2015. Clearly, students enjoy putting their effort into serious issues confronting our society today. This approach asked the question,”Well why can’t we do what we did for pediatric cancer, but instead for sexual assault?” It doesn’t necessarily have to be about raising money, it should be about getting people informed and involved. The general consensus of this approach was a positive one. Everyone found a successful grassroots campaign to be a potential solution to lessening the number of sexual assaults on campus.
Overall, I found this deliberation to be very successful. Although I have always felt sexual assault to be a serious and prevalent issue, especially at college, but I never really considered how we would go about solving it. This deliberation opened my eyes to some potential solutions. We were able to determine what would work and what wouldn’t, which will ultimately put us a step closer to ending sexual assault for good on campus.
jjh5589 says
This actually sounds like a very good deliberation go attend especially since it hits home to all of us attending Penn State. I never though I would become accustomed to getting these text alerts about yet another incident of sexual assault that happened. But alas I have. Its crazy to think that people just down the street or in the dorm right next to us had a sexual assault happen. I believe education is a huge thing. If people who could possibly be victims or perpetrators knew all this info, maybe there would be less sexual assaults.