Rape Survivors And Experts On Preventing College Campus Sexual Violence

Two days before freshman orientation at the University of Montana, 18-year-old Lisa Hodges, who said her newfound freedom exhilarated her, attended a fraternity party. Later that night, Hodges said she was invited to a fraternity brother’s home, where she was told she could sleep in the basement bedroom. As soon as she began drifting to sleep, she said she felt a man’s body slide into the bed next to her.

“Nothing I was saying was working … He finally got very aggressive with me, and he pinned my hands above my head real forcefully and got on top of me,” Hodges said. “I just remember I had this very distinct voice inside my head saying, ‘I do not want to be raped.’ I didn’t know what was happening, and I just said, ‘Fine, just get it over with,’ … so he just ripped the boxers I was wearing off and went at it.”

Hodges is now 41, but her experience is still all too common among female undergrads today. According to a 2019 survey on sexual assault and misconduct conducted by Westat for the Association of American Universities, 26.4% of female undergraduate students ages 18-24 had experienced rape or sexual assault through physical force, violence, or incapacitation.

This number comes despite increased awareness in the wake of the #MeToo movement and attempts by the Biden administration to expand Title IX protections. Survivors like Hodges, as well as other sexual violence prevention advocates, say that makes it all the more important for universities to step up their policies to prevent sexual violence on their campuses.

“I don’t like that number. I think that’s awful,” Hodges said. “It’s up to colleges and universities to be involved in awareness and education.”

Susan Chibnall, the project director for Westat’s 2019 survey, said the survey was conducted so colleges could understand the rates of sexual violence on their campuses to better address the situation. And many universities have begun re-examining their sexual violence prevention and intervention programs to reduce sexual violence on campus, according to Chibnall.

The University of Illinois Chicago, for instance, works directly with survivors through its Campus Advocacy Network to provide support and prevent further violence, according to Dr. Kelly Maginot, the assistant director of advocacy services. Maginot said one of the most important things for university officials to keep in mind is that helping a survivor get what they need — accountability, healing, and safety — will greatly improve a survivor’s chances of reaching out for ongoing support in the future.

But Sara Azimipour, 19, who said they were raped on Northwestern University’s campus last year, said more needs to be done.

“We need to fully dismantle systems like rape culture, impurity culture, and drinking culture — especially within Greek life — if we want to make change regarding sexual violence,” said Azimipour, who is majoring in environmental science and gender & sexuality studies. “When we start fully being open and honest about the systems that perpetuate rape culture, then people can make more informed decisions.”

Esther Warkov, co-founder and executive director of Stop Sexual Assault in Schools, a nonprofit working to address sexual harassment in the K-12 education system, said colleges should begin implementing high-profile, trauma-informed programs focused on educating students about consent and about resources available on campus.

Warkov’s husband and fellow co-founder, Joel Levin, added that preventing violence in college starts with education at a younger age.

“We need to give students these lessons earlier so that, when they go to college, it’s not the first time they’re hearing it,” Levin said.

Dan Black, a professor at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy who recently released new research on domestic violence, said another issue that needs to be solved is the pressure victims put on themselves, which might lead them not to report their assault.

Hodges said she felt that pressure and self-blame, which led her to hold her story in for over 20 years. She said normalizing talking about sexual violence may help to prevent it.

“Rape will ruin your life, but I think it’s empowering to own it,” she said. “Secrets are where shame lies, and shame just grows abundantly from hiding everything.”

Hodges’ younger sister, Whitney Wilson, 35, said she is also a victim of sexual violence. She said it was a “long, bumpy road” to come to terms with her rape, but now she would do anything to make sure what happened to her does not happen to anyone else.

She said it would take a long time to break down the systems that allow sexual violence to continue, but the first step is for survivors to get college campuses to hold perpetrators accountable.

“Sexual assault happens so much more than we realize, and it looks different for everyone,” Wilson said. “It’s never your fault. No one asks for it. We’re all strong, and we’re stronger together.”