It is an understatement to say that being a anti-sexual violence activist can be incredibly disheartening and infuriating. With the recent release of the second phase of investigation findings by the Center for Public Integrity about campus sexual assault, I realized I’ve noticed a disturbing trend. Schools are overwhelmingly ‘learning’ what should be done properly in regard to sexual assault at the cost of the lives of survivors. As one of us tweeted yesterday “thought of the day: the idea that a college admin. would frame a student’s rape as a “teachable moment” for the rapist makes me sick.”
Rape is NOT a “teachable moment.” I don’t know why society continues to make light of sexual violence in all its forms. The New England Center for Investigative Reporting covered a story where a student raped a recent graduate at UMASS Amherst and got a “deferred suspension” –meaning the rapist still got to finish classes and stay on campus. If you go to the story on Boston.com there is a video of an administrator of the school who spoke to them about it on camera. The administrator’s demeanor gave me an impression of near-apathy. When asked about the mistake of the rapist not getting punished, she sort of shrugs and just says nothing can be done to fix it.
Too often campus organizing to change campus sexual violence policies initiates from the wronging of a survivor. And even when administrators realize that they’ve further hurt victims and deeply impact their lives, they are STILL resistant to making quick, comprehensive change. This is why organizations like SAFER needs to exist and why the Campus Accountability Project is so important. While yes, change is good, the new rules cannot fix the wrongs that were done against those who suffered under the inadequate rules.
Sexual Violence policies aren’t something to experiment with. This is not something where trial-and-error is harmless and if a school fucks up they can just be like “Ooops! Well, I’m glad that we learned a lot of this!” NO. RAPE IS NOT A LEARNING TOOL.
