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Impact of Sexual Assault

Academic Impact of Sexual Assault

By Connie J. Kirkland

Due to the lack of reliable victimization research, we do not know if the number of sexual assaults on campus is actually increasing or decreasing. We do not know that because sexual assault is being talked about more frequently among students and because educational programming has increased, on-campus sexual assaults are being reported more often. There are certainly more reasons the numbers are more likely to be on the rise.

• Student enrollments have increased - thus, there are more opportunities for sexual assaults to occur.
• Recreational use of alcohol and other chemical substances on campus remains high (75% of men and 55% of women involved in acquaintance rape had been drinking or using drugs just before the attack).
• Increasing portrayal of sexual stimuli and sexual violence in the media.
• Liberalized visitation policies in on-campus residence halls. (The most frequent sites of acquaintance rapes are the assailant's or victim's rooms).

Just what is "sexual assault?" Most people think immediately of rape. Rape, both by stranger and by acquaintance, is widely recognized, but there are other acts of violence committed without the consent of the victim that are sexual assaults as well. These include assaults or penetration with objects other than a penis, non-penetration assaults of a sexual nature, indecent exposure, voyeurism, obscene phone calls, and sexual harassment. All of these crimes and are against the university student code.

A nationwide survey (fall 1994) reaffirmed the nearly unbelievable statistic that 1 in 4 females has been sexually victimized. Another study completed by the National Victim Center in 1992, concluded that a female's first sexual assault most often occurs prior to the age of eighteen. The impact on these victims can be great. The plight of the victim is enough to anger anyone with a concern for individual life and liberty. It is impossible to undo victimization.

Violent crimes usually provoke some type of reaction or loss--physical, financial, social, psychological, and, in the case of students, academic. The first two are described in newspapers and other forums and are recorded by police and other official reports. The other resulting traumas, however, are not so easily identified but may harm the victim even more. The psychological wound is often severe or permanent. After crimes occur, strong feelings remain. Emotional distress can include feelings of fear, anger, shame, helplessness, guilt, and/or depression. Sometimes interruptions from life linger: sleeplessness, nightmares, social isolation, flashbacks, and intense insecurity.

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