College Ad: Getting Sexually Assaulted, Raped On Campus A Fact Of Life

With the number of students reporting they’ve been raped or otherwise sexually assaulted on campus growing each year, and rape culture growing almost out of control, it is more important than ever to warn prospective college students what to expect in their freshman year – they have a one in four chance of being raped or otherwise sexually assaulted according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics and Research.

Goodby Silverstein & Partners and PRETTYBIRD spearheaded the Unacceptable Acceptance Letter Project, the campaign consists of the Don’tAcceptRape.com website, six videos, and a an Unacceptable Acceptance letter advertisement that ran in the April 16 print version of The Crimson, Harvard’s student paper, according to ThinkProgress.

Perfectly Timed

Although timed to strategically coincide with Harvard’s weekend welcoming accepted students and the general 2016-2017 admissions season, fate saw fit to throw two other important events about campus sexual assault and rape into the mix. The first was the release of new statistics from nine colleges from the Bureau of Justice Statistics and Research, which found,

As many as one in four women experience sexual assault at college, though the vast majority never report it.”

If that wasn’t proof enough of the prevalence of sexual assault, the recent resignation of Charlie M. Storey, a Harvard’s elite Alumnus, might be. He openly criticized Harvard’s policies on allowing females into male-only secret societies like the Porcellain Club, saying doing so would invite their being raped, according to Gawker. Storey resigned amid the backlash.

Perfectly Themed

The print ad looks like a real letter from any Admissions and Financial Aid department, complete with a university logo and official letterhead, although the logo and names are blurred out. It starts off congratulating the student,

On behalf of the [blurred out] community, I would like to congratulate on your acceptance into the University of [blurred out]. We know that you will make lifelong friends and memories here on campus.”

The message that comes next makes it abundantly clear that if a student accepts the university’s invite, they are also accepting the likelihood they will be sexually assaulted on campus,

“We’re sorry that one of these memories will include being raped by someone you thought you could trust. You’ll fear him the night he presses you against a wall and every day after that.”

Freshmen Sexually Assaulted in First Few Months On Campus
Unacceptable Acceptance Letter Screenshot Via ThinkProgress

The letter then warns prospective victims incoming students they should prepare for a fight with university officials and to be victim blamed.

“The claims you will make against your rapist will be ignored, much like your right to feel safe at school. After all, you can’t expect us to expel someone on the basis of a story that begins with, ‘I had been drinking.’

Alcohol has a way of making you stretch the truth, and we don’t respond to liars.”

Prepare To Be Sexually Assaulted

The videos depict male and female students reading Unacceptable Acceptance Letters, and the campaign certainly did its homework. Six versions aimed at six schools depict a student being videoed by loved ones as they find out they’ve been “accepted” into the school.

The college names are bleeped, but some are clearly recognizable, and each letter recites campus rape and sexual assault statistics that appear to belong to each of the bleeped out schools uniquely. Some examples include “Ms. Roberts’ Unacceptable acceptance letter” video, which says in part,

You face a challenging year ahead as you’ll be raped in your first semester, and as a result attempt to end your own life…”

Another, “Ms. Wilkenson’s Unacceptable acceptance letter” video says in part,

We are pleased to offer you admission at [bleeped]. We only expel one student for 259 reports of rape on campus so you’ll be sharing dorms with repeat sexual offenders.”

Mr. Poulten’s acceptance letter video says in part,

We’re happy to have you join us as a member of [bleep] University, You’ll soon be given a key to your dorm where a fellow student will rape you while you’re all alone, becoming his third victim…”

Campus Rape And Sexual Assault Awareness

Some colleges in the videos have been criticized for their horrendous handling of victims who were sexually assaulted or raped. According to the Huffington Post, many freshmen are likely to be sexually assaulted in just the first few months of being on campus.

 

Women And Men Sexually Assaulted On Campus
Sexual Assault Statistics – Screenshot Via The Huffington Post.

Victims report assaults to university officials, but the officials disbelieve the report, or ignore it altogether – the university’s “good” kids couldn’t commit such an assault, of course. Between the botched investigations and outright ignorance of victim reports altogether, according to ThinkProgress, campus officials alienate victims and allow perpetrators to go on assaulting others.

The problem of campus sexual assault and campus rape is so bad that lawmakers pushed the U.S. News & World Report to consider a college’s sexual assault history when issuing its “influential college rankings” each year, according to the Huffington Post.

According to ThinkProgress, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and other prestigious schools were sued recently, and are accused of covering up rape and sexual assault cases – the same prestigious schools supposedly “immune” to this type of behavior. Federal law requires colleges report sexual assaults, but doesn’t punish them for not complying with the law.

Getting sexually assaulted has become a “normal” fact of life. Forcing accountability of university officials and others who receive or otherwise handle victim reports could make a world of difference in such prestigious schools where rape culture is alive and well, and that’s exactly what the #Don’tAcceptRape campaign hopes to accomplish.

 

 

Featured Image: Screenshot Via Don’tAcceptRape.com.