College sex assaults

In just seconds, someone’s whole world can be turned upside down. Sexual assaults happen too often across the U.S. to college students. Betsy DeVos wants to limit colleges to only take cases that happen on campus or school events. But what about the many students who live off campus? Shouldn’t they have the same protection? Colleges need to do better in prevention and punishment for sexual assaults for every single student.

According to the United States Department of Justice, up to 25 percent of women and 15 percent of men are victims of forced sex before they graduate. Over 90 percent of sexual assaults that happen on college campuses go unreported, and only 25 percent of reported assaults end with an arrest. Some people put the blame on the victim, dismissing the assault with many excuses, from blaming the clothes the victim was wearing to saying the victim “encouraged” the attacker.

Sexual assault alters someone’s life forever. Victims often develop depression and/or post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Many sexual-assault victims are scared of their attackers or too ashamed about the act to report their attacks. A lot of sexual-assault victims are attacked by someone they know, so they feel as if they reported their attacker, no one would believe them.

Colleges need to make every student feel safe and protected. I would love to see mandatory seminars about consent at every campus. Colleges need to recognize sexual assault does happen and make it a topic students are comfortable to speak about. ANTONIA GRAY

Lonoke