Rape.
One word.One act.One choice.
One tragedy.
“It’s not about sex, it’s about power,” Laci Weeden, the associate director of the Women’s Center, said. “Rape is not about sex.”
Rape and sexual assault are issues nationwide, on college campuses and city streets alike. According to information from the Women’s Center, nearly one in four women surveyed had been the victim of rape or attempted rape during her college career.
Women aren’t the only ones affected, though. The information provided by the Women’s Center also stated one in 10 men will be sexually assaulted in his lifetime.
While sexual assault is always a traumatic experience, Weeden said men deal with another, separate set of issues after a sexual crime is committed against them.
She said most of those issues stem from what men feel is a lack of masculinity, and the idea that the man should have been able to protect himself.
She said the rate of suicide after a sexual assault is much higher for men than for women. She also said men are more likely to turn to alcohol and drugs afterward.
Captain Joseph Goodrow of Campus Police said being violated as a male sexually is a very traumatic experience the male psyche doesn’t deal with well, and because of that men almost never report being sexually assaulted.
Men aren’t the only ones not reporting sexual crimes, however. Lieutenant Rick Potts of Campus Police said most sexual assault, against both men and women, goes unreported.
Potts said the majority of victims choose to remain silent because it is such a traumatizing event, and they don’t wish to relive it. He said the system victimizes them again in that manner, especially during trial.
However, he said Campus Police tries to give as much power as it can back to the victims.
Goodrow agreed that Campus Police does everything it can to help the victims of sexual crimes, and stressed that people should become more active in reporting these crimes.
“This is a life-altering situation, and it’s very difficult to handle this on your own,” Goodrow said. “Don’t be silent.”
For those looking for advice or assistance, Marianne Turnbull, director of Health Promotions, said the University offers a variety of services to students who have experienced a rape or sexual assault.
“Whatever service you needed you’d be able to get at Health Services,” Turnbull said. “If we didn’t have it we’d see that you got it.”
Health Services offers a Counseling Center for those dealing with the psychological aftermath of sexual assault, and STD testing as well as the Plan B pill for students concerned with the physical effects. While the Health Center is not capable of doing an abortion, Turnbull said the University would direct students where they needed to go, if Health Services was unable to assist them.
Another thing Health Services doesn’t provide is a “Rape Kit.” A rape kit is an examination done after a sexual assault in which forensic evidence is collected and the victim is checked in depth for injuries caused by the crime.
Turnbull said the Health Center often suggests rape victims go to the SAFE Center associated with WakeMed for those services.
The University also has a 24-hour rape hotline, maintained by the Women’s Center, so students can call for help after a crime has been committed. Weeden said the hotline is staffed by men and women alike. While the “phone does not ring on a constant basis,” she said volunteers are always prepared to answer it.
Weeden said alcohol and drugs usually play a big role in date or acquaintance rape, and 100 percent of the cases reported this year involved alcohol.
Legally, a person can not give consent to sex while under any influence, and she said many of the cases involved a certain level of naivety on the part of the victim.
She said many college students are very trusting of people they have just met. Turnbull echoed this concern, saying many students just don’t realize the danger in which they are putting themselves.
However, both Turnbull and Weeden were quick to point out that victims never do anything to deserve being sexually assaulted, although many victims feel as though they have. Weeden said the Women’s Center is very careful in educating students about sexual assault on campus for that very reason.
“You want to educate people on campus without making them feel it’s their fault,” she said.
She stressed the importance of making smart decisions when going out with friends.
“People are just thinking, I’m going to meet someone, I’m going to have a new friend,” she said. “You just have to be careful.”