Some female students view sports teams on campus in a bad light for sexual misconduct. According to the Lake Forest College Public Safety blotter, since August there have been five reported sexual misconduct cases, most of which were off-campus.
In 1994, scholars Jeff Benedict and Todd Crosset conducted a study on college athletes and discovered that, while male student athletes only make up about 3.3% of the college students, they commit 19% of sexual assault and 35% of domestic violence incidents. The study also showed that one in three sexual assaults on college campuses are committed by athletes and that they do so successfully about seven times before they are caught.
According to the Office of Missouri Senator Clarie McCaskill in a report published July 2014 by the Department of Justice, less than 5% of college victims report sexual assault to law enforcement. This may be due to the way the victims are treated, the confusion of what the definition of rape and sexual assault are, as well as possible repercussions for their actions preceding the assaults (such as underage drinking).
Therefore, many educational institutions have an ambivalent idea of the true number of sexual assaults that have occurred on campus. “The stats aren’t flawed but our experiences don’t bear out those statistics… Our experience here at a small liberal arts college is vastly different than a state college,” said Rick Cohen, Director of Public Safety.
Under the Clery Act, colleges and universities that partake in federal student aid programs are required to disclose campus safety information. It lays out basic requirements for handling incidents of sexual violence and emergency situations in compliance with Title IX. “Sexual harassment in education includes any unwanted and unwelcome sexual behavior that significantly interferes with a student’s access to educational opportunities.
The Supreme Court has confirmed that schools have an obligation under Title IX to prevent and address harassment against students, regardless of whether the harassment is perpetrated by peers, teachers, or other school officials,” according to Title IX’s website. “The police are always called when we become aware of a complaint or allegation of sexual assault,” Cohen said. “There are two separate investigations, [one by the College and one by the police], and one does not necessarily rely on the other. The police aren’t going to take into consideration what we might do as an institution.”
He also said that those who are accused of sexual misconduct or harassment would not receive special treatment. “The College takes complaints and incidents of sexual misconduct with the utmost seriousness and we will work with our community to instill a culture of respect and care for one another,” said Rick Cohen.
Image credit: Pintrest
A version of this article appears in print on February 10, 2015, on page 5 of the Stentor with the headline: Are our beloved student athletes the perpetrators of sexual harassment on campus?
