The front page New York Times article “Reporting Rape, and Wishing She Hadn’t. How One College Handled a Sexual Assault Complaint” concentrates on what it considers the laxity of a college in prosecuting “rape” and, in our opinion, completely miss identifies the root problem that has long been taking place on college campuses.
It would be a rarity for a college male to go off on a weekend evening intending to meet and rape a girl. True, he has a so called “rocket in his pocket”, but there are sober civilizing portions in his brain that enables him to control and positively channel his urges.
Nor is it likely that co-eds go off to parties with the intent of having unnitentional sex with one or more stranger.
But rape, or what we consider in the case in question as non-consensual sex, does occur frequently at colleges as a result of ‘binge drinking’ which has become a common weekend practice for students. The phenomenon isn’t limited to so call ‘party schools’ but also to the most prestigious institutions, perhaps in part because the students there are so overworked during the rest of the week.
(The current Saturday night drunkenness came to our attention when a local high school graduate, as a freshman, dropped off the debate time of a prestigious university rather than hang out at away weekend tournaments with drunken team mates.)
Therefore, we blame these horrible incidents in large part on the administrators and board trustees who have been too timid and perhaps too cowardly to speak out about binge drinking and properly warn incoming students and their parents of the dangers.
A seminar should be conducted on the very first day in which first year students are cautioned against binge drinking, warned of the possible outcome, that the college is required by law to report such incidents to the police, and the likely result being the ruination of otherwise promising lives.
When they do occur, perhaps such cases should be referred to a specially designated judge who has been educated concerning the complexities of the situation so that the punishment indeed fits the crime.
(Who is around and sober enough to explain the nuances of what took place? Be accused, have a DNA semen match, and off to prison. And what is the emotional consequences and perhaps long term impact on the girl who wanted to retain her virginity or faith scontrol over her body.)
Most of us elder males have either gotten high or drunk some time during our lives and have looked back with regret upon what took place. We might ask ourselves whether acceptable actions of half a century ago by today’s standards might conceivably lead to accusations and possibly conviction for rape.
In those days, boys were supposed to take the initiatives and girls demur. And what happened on Saturday night was forgotten or repressed on Sunday.
Not any more!
