According to Onward State, in just this academic year (2012-2013), nearly 30 sexual assaults have been reported to both local and off-campus police departments. While this number is disturbingly high as is, a closer look reveals that unfortunately, sexual assaults go largely unreported to police on college campuses. According to The Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, approximately 54 percent of sexual assaults in the United States are never actually reported to the police, and other sources estimate that the proportion of unreported sexual assaults on college campuses are significantly higher (although these results vary). This means that unfortunately, that the true number of sexual assaults at Penn State this past year was probably much higher than the numbers show. And this is not a trend unique to the Penn State community; according to the Department of Justice, one in four women in the United States will be sexually assaulted before they graduate from college.

This reflects a disturbing and saddening aspect of the culture present here on Penn State’s campus and on college campuses across the country; not only that such startling numbers of sexual assaults occur here at our beloved school, but that we have created a culture in which such large proportions of victims, for whatever reason, are too afraid to report their attack.

There is a strikingly strong correlation between alcohol consumption and sexual assault on college campuses. In an interview with Onward State, Detective Chris Weaver from the State College Police Department stated, “I’d say 85 to 90 percent of sexual assault cases are alcohol related,” and a study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health found that 72 percent of rape victims on college campuses stated that they were intoxicated when their rape occurred. The binge drinking that often occurs on college campuses creates an environment that allows offenders to more easily target and take advantage of students, and unfortunately, students who are sexually assaulted while intoxicated are even less likely to report their assault. Victims who were intoxicated at the time of their assault often feel that they are partially responsible because they were not fully in control of themselves, or were not able to think and communicate clearly. This saddening and unfortunate misconception further adds to the frequency of unreported sexual assaults on college campuses. Regardless of intoxication, victim is never responsible for his or her assault, and no level of intoxication by the victim makes the offender less guilty.

Unfortunately, the affects of rape and sexual assault go beyond the physical harm done to victims. Victims of rape can experience psychological harm that lasts for extended periods of time, even years if left untreated. According to RAINN, victims often report symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), where they experience difficulty concentrating or sleeping, avoiding of places and situations that remind them of their attack, and frequent reliving of their rape. Victims of sexual assault are also at an increased risk of substance abuse, self-harm, and sleeping and eating disorders.