The other day I came across a video about a case of rape at Columbia, which is considered to be one of the most prestigious colleges in the nation. According to students who attend Columbia, the college does not deal with rape and sexual assault cases well, and in most cases dismisses these allegations made. For one student, Emma, she decided she wouldn't take it. Being raped in her own bed her sophomore year, she has decided to employ herself to make a statement about the way the school dealt with her case, carrying around a large mattress until the man who raped her no longer attends Columbia. This piece of performance art moves to make a change, and symbolizes how the weight of this rape is something she carries with her everywhere, everyday.
Colleges everywhere are beginning to see how necessary is to change policies on how they deal with sexual assault and rape cases, because the issue is currently getting so much press. In fact in the video a woman was quoted saying that it should actually be a red flag if colleges report no sexual assault cases - as it shows they are denying that there is an issue rather than helping the people affected by it. I remember two years ago hearing the statistic that on average 1 in every 4 girls will be sexually assaulted before they leave college - that gives me, and every one of my classmates a 25% of being raped in college. A large problem is the amount of depth that this issue comes with, and the resources required to properly deal with it - schools would need to hire therapists & investigators and would have to create rape crisis centers in order to truly help those who've faced the trauma of sexual assault.
The recent invention of a nail polish that changes color when one is exposed to a date rape drug is also a huge topic of conversation right now, but is it really dealing with the root of the issue? To me its saddening that it's taken this long for America to begin to realize and accept this as a real issue - and that for so long we decided to brush it under the rug and not talk about it. In that time hundreds, if not thousands, of individuals have been harmed so unnecessarily.
On a personal level as a female student applying to various colleges, including Barnard (a women's college part of Columbia), hearing of cases such as Emma's makes me really question and look at where I want to spend my time in college - as an event like rape can completely dictate one's entire experience for these four years. This can be said in Emma's quote in the video, " Every day I'm afraid of leaving my room." That's a worry no college student should ever have to deal with.
I sincerely hope this is the time for change in our society on how we view rape - in a lot of ways, it really needs to be.
Link to the Article & the Video: http://time.com/3259455/columbia-student-pledges-to-carry-a-mattress-every-day-till-alleged-rapist-leaves-campus/
- Siya
Colleges everywhere are beginning to see how necessary is to change policies on how they deal with sexual assault and rape cases, because the issue is currently getting so much press. In fact in the video a woman was quoted saying that it should actually be a red flag if colleges report no sexual assault cases - as it shows they are denying that there is an issue rather than helping the people affected by it. I remember two years ago hearing the statistic that on average 1 in every 4 girls will be sexually assaulted before they leave college - that gives me, and every one of my classmates a 25% of being raped in college. A large problem is the amount of depth that this issue comes with, and the resources required to properly deal with it - schools would need to hire therapists & investigators and would have to create rape crisis centers in order to truly help those who've faced the trauma of sexual assault.
The recent invention of a nail polish that changes color when one is exposed to a date rape drug is also a huge topic of conversation right now, but is it really dealing with the root of the issue? To me its saddening that it's taken this long for America to begin to realize and accept this as a real issue - and that for so long we decided to brush it under the rug and not talk about it. In that time hundreds, if not thousands, of individuals have been harmed so unnecessarily.
On a personal level as a female student applying to various colleges, including Barnard (a women's college part of Columbia), hearing of cases such as Emma's makes me really question and look at where I want to spend my time in college - as an event like rape can completely dictate one's entire experience for these four years. This can be said in Emma's quote in the video, " Every day I'm afraid of leaving my room." That's a worry no college student should ever have to deal with.
I sincerely hope this is the time for change in our society on how we view rape - in a lot of ways, it really needs to be.
Link to the Article & the Video: http://time.com/3259455/columbia-student-pledges-to-carry-a-mattress-every-day-till-alleged-rapist-leaves-campus/
- Siya