No more Nu Allegations
On Sept. 24, Sigma Nu, a fraternity at the University of Southern California (USC), was reported for sexual assault and lacing drinks with drugs. As a result, USC issued a safety alert on Oct. 20, nearly a month after the report to its students regarding these incidents (Los Angeles Times). By Oct. 22, Sigma Nu’s chapter president was identified as a suspect, which led to his suspension by the Sigma Nu chapter at USC and the national fraternity (People). Since the safety alert was published, an additional 12 reports of sexual assault and battery, as well as nine more reports of drugging involving other fraternities, have been filed by anonymous students. Despite USC’s prestigious status and ranking at #27 on on U.S. News’s list of the best national universities in 2021, the college has not taken proper responsibility for the sexual violence occuring on campus, therefore putting its students under unnecessary stress and danger (U.S. News).
Because of its status, some may believe students that face sexual violence have enough resources from the school. Unfortunately, this is not the case, and the fraternity scandal has only brought more awareness of sexual abuse in the education system, specifically at high school and college levels. The Los Angeles Times (LA Times) reported that nearly one in three women on USC’s campus have dealt with sexual assault in 2019, yet the school still has very few resources for victims to turn to. Through more in-depth education, safe spaces for victims and increasing awareness about sexual violence, students can feel more at ease on campus. However, the current system for teaching students about sexual education is not effective enough. In order to create a culture that understands the importance of asking for consent and focuses on the prevention of sexual violence, these difficult discussions need to occur with students about how to keep future generations safe.
“I believe it is better to just talk about sexual assault more,” sophomore Skylar Rapoport said. “While it is a touchy subject, it is safer for [people] to know the reality of what [they] are dealing with.”
From middle school to high school, education on basic values like consent are often covered once in a unit and never mentioned again. The California Healthy Youth Act, established in 2019, mentions that comprehensive sexual health and HIV prevention education is only required ‘at least’ once in high school. With only 18 U.S. states requiring the content of sexual education to be medically accurate, it is clear that the topics surrounding sexual health need to be properly addressed and updated to fit the current time and better help students. Keeping this in mind, California is the only state that requires sexual education information to be medically accurate, age appropriate and culturally unbiased.
In the Palos Verdes Peninsula School District (PVPUSD), high school students are taught about sexual health through the Positive Prevention Plus program in the second semester of their biology class. The scope of the class only covers some forms of sexual violence and one unit of consent, and it is evident that these programs need to properly address sexual violence by updating its teaching material. This can start with teachers having a discussion with students about the harmful effects of victim blaming, which often puts victims of sexual assault at fault for what happened to them. According to research found by the Journal of Adolescent Health, comprehensive sexual education leads to students feeling informed and making safe decisions. By having students participate and contribute their own feelings on sexual violence, adolescents can learn how to take these lessons and apply them to the real world instead of just taking a course that takes notes and tests for a semester grade. From these conversations, safe spaces can naturally develop and help empower those affected by sexual violence to speak up about their experiences.
“Schools do not provide a safe space for victims, and that is why so many [people] do not come out when [sexual assault] happens,” sophomore Joie Chiu said. “It seems to be more trouble than it is worth. That is why it keeps happening.”
The need for a safe space for victims of sexual violence is urgent. According to the Rape, Abuse, Incest and National Network (RAINN), two in three victims of sexual violence are between ages 12 to 17, with 34 percent of victims under age 12. RAINN states that only 310 out of every 1,000 sexual assaults are reported to police, which means that the issue could be inaccurately framed in a way that attracts less awareness and public concern for its occurrence. Without a safe space, victims are already at an increased risk for developing mental illnesses because they may not know how to find support when recovering from such a traumatic event. Victims of sexual assault have an increased risk of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance use disorders, eating disorders and anxiety (Mental Health America). Providing students with the access to a safe space is imperative, and the fact that USC has nowhere for victims of sexual assault to rely on halts potential victims from coming forward with their stories.
“Education can help decrease certain behaviors and actions, but there are always people who will see what they can get away with,” school nurse Wendy Keller said. “[Schools] being a little more assertive and up front about [sexual violence] would be helpful to help normalize the mindfulness that needs to occur.”
Changing the culture surrounding sexual violence means forming safe spaces for those in need, proper sexual education and greater societal awareness. In order for people to understand the consequences of their actions, there must be a sense of accountability. This involves the personal responsibility of students who need to recognize the importance of consent. Additionally, if students witness sexual assault on campus, they have the responsibility to say something and prevent the situation from progressing further. School districts like PVPUSD need to prioritize better sexual education when it comes to discussing this pressing issue. Until all school systems start teaching proper sexual education that are deemed medically accurate and creating spaces for students to openly discuss the prevention of sexual violence, students will never be able to feel safe walking around on a campus knowing that a one in three sexual assault statistic remains.
