Colleges and universities across the country are taking more precautions to protect students from rape. While that is good, the institutions should be wary of creating a false sense of security.
While students should not live in fear, all students - men and women - need to be aware of the dangers leading to rape.
Five rapes have occurred on The Ohio State University’s campus since May. Officials there have posted fliers around campus, placed an alert on the school’s Web site and held mandatory meetings for students in dorms.
The university, which is among the largest in the nation, is trying to make students more aware of ways to protect themselves.
It is urging students to observe several basic safety procedures as precautions against rape, including carrying pepper spray and walking in groups.
But the solution to the problem isn’t just that women should watch out, it’s that men need to have it pounded into their heads that rape is never OK.
Men need to be educated just as much, if not more than women, about rape awareness.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, women between the ages of 16 and 24 are at the highest risk of rape, and 1.7 percent of college women have been raped.
Last year, MSU police reported 20 forcible sex offenses. That figure was up from the 18 reported in 2000. And we should remember those are just the ones that have been reported.
Many campus leaders want people to cling to a false security found in adhering to the usual rules of going out in groups and never walking alone at night. But the sad fact is the majority of sexual assaults are not by the stereotypical “stalker” or stranger prowling for young women - students should know they can be taken advantage of by someone they know in a situation where they have lost control.
Many rapes are the results of a volatile mix of mingling acquaintances and alcohol.
A federal task force recently estimated college drinking leads to about 70,000 sexual assaults and rapes annually.
But fears of “date-rapes” have become too common and the public is responding. Since March, Drink Safe Technologies Inc. in Plantation, Fla., has sold about 50 million coasters said to test for date-rape drugs in drinks.
The coasters have test spots that are supposed to turn dark blue in about 30 seconds if a spatter of alcohol contains drugs used to incapacitate victims.
But the Michigan State Police fear the devices might cause people to feel a false sense of security because they found them to not always to effective.
There are about 36 drugs on the streets classified as date-rape drugs.
Keeping a watchful eye is important, but it is even more important for students to remember that they should steer clear of situations where they would be vulnerable to protect themselves.
University leaders should strive to teach their entire student bodies about rape. Men and women should be aware of all that is known about the dangerous culture so they can work together to eradicate it.
