For P2, I was very interested in writing and proposing some new ideas ideas about sexual assault on college campuses. In America, one out of four women between the ages 17-24 will experience sexual assault of some form. This problem is exigent for everyone, but a very concerning statistic for college campuses. For P2 I read A Lack of Consequences for Sexual Assault , Don’t Rape, 97 out of 100 Rapists Receive No Punishment, and Spring Safety on Campus. Many problems surround this issue, but I’d like to solve the more urgent issue of punishment for those guilty of rape (along with some ideas for prevention). From the standpoint of law and order, colleges are harboring criminals by keeping them on our campus. It makes the school an unsafe place to be and creates issues with reliability of a school to punish criminals who face going to jail in a federal court system. I propose that college campuses expel those students found guilty of rape. Its illogical to give criminals a free pass ( i.e a summer suspension), as it damages the reputation of the school as having integrity, but also endangers more students to similar situations (Lombardi 376).
When a rapist is let off easy it makes the victim’s tragedy out to be insignificant, which harms the victim even more. However, I understand that expelling a student would ruin their academic future, and as a firm believer in education, I propose that those convicted guilty of rape be expelled from campus, but allowed to complete their degree online with the requirement of sexual assault and alcohol courses. This way student criminals have an opportunity to change their future for the better, and the safety of other students is ensured. Also if by a remarkable chance,a student was wrongfully convicted they still have academic opportunity (might I point out the chances of a rapist being convicted wrongfully are significantly lower than that of an actual rapist being convicted, less than 3%) (RAINN 389). On top of properly punishing a criminal, it is absolutely necessary that victim and accused are provided with counseling opportunities.
Some other ways to keep the integrity of a campus while ensuring students safety is prevention. By requiring students to take online courses on sexual assault, alcohol and violence, will educate and help to prevent these crimes on campus. Also, to make the effect of those classes more lasting, at the end of the course the student would have to sign saying that they understand the issue and are willing to make campus a safer environment. Since there are many who believe that rape is a crime of opportunity, by being firm in the expulsion of rapists from campus, the appeal of that “opportunity” is eliminated ( CSU Public Safety Team) .
The stakeholders of this issue are administrators, students,rapists and victims. I plan on appealing to administrators as my audience, specifically the administrators of the University of Iowa. This issue is exigent to them because their careers depend on how well they oversee students education and safety. The reason I chose the University of Iowa, is because they have had many problems with sexual assault and punishment of criminals. Logically, the administrators of the University of Iowa have the power to change things because their goal is supposed to be student safety and education. They are the only ones who have the power to expel students and ensure that the campus is a safe place to live. Schools may not have the power to put students in jail, but they have the power to prevent more students from becoming victims.
CSU Public Safety Team. "Spring Safety on Campus." Mar. 2013. E-mail.
Lombardi, Kristen. "A Lack of Consequences for Sexual Assault." Ethics in Higher Education (2013): 375-88. Abstract. The Center for Public Integrity (2010): n. pag. Print.
RAINN. "97 out of Every 100 Rapists Receive No Punishment." Ethics in Higher Education. Southlake: Fountain Head, 2013. 389-90. Print.
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