ChangingAttitudesofFeminismandSexual

AssaultonCollegeCampuses
JuliaHigson
Onaverage,oneinfivefemalestudentsaresexuallyassaultedinthecourseoftheircollege
career(TheFirstReport).Thisisastatisticweveallheardbefore,andtodaywereallvery
awareoftheproblemofsexualassaultoncollegecampuses.Itsanissuewehearaboutinthe
newsalmosteveryday.Weseespeeches,internetcampaigns,andviralvideosonthesubjecton
adailybasis.Butitwasntalwaysthisway.Theriseofthisissuetopublicperceptionisarecent
development.Theproblemitselfisnothingnew,yetforalongtimeitwassimplynottalked
about,andcertainlynotdiscussedinthevolumethatitnowits.Thisnewprominenceinthe
publiceyecanbetracedtoseveraldifferentsources.Firstofall,aresurgenceinthepopularityof
feminismisadefinitecauseoftheattentionbroughttosexualassault.Thisinturnhasledto
movementstoredefineourunderstandingofthemeaningofconsentandchangethelegalbasis
andcontextofsexualassault.Throughallofthis,womenhavebeenencouragedtospeakup,and
therehasbeenagrowingawarenessoftheproblemsassociatedwithvictimblamingandslut
shamingwhenspeakingaboutsexualassault.Policychangeandnationalmovementshavealso
playedabigpartinincreasingawarenessofsexualassault.Notlongago,sexualassaulton
collegecampuseswasanissuerarelydiscussed,andtodayitisverymuchapartofournational
discourse.Forexample,PresidentObamahassignedintoactionacommitteetoexamineand
combattheproblemofsexualassaultoncollegecampuses.Thisisoneexampleofhowour

awarenessofthisnationalproblemhasgonethroughadramaticshiftinashortperiodoftime.
Importantstepssuchasthistocombattheproblemarebeingtaken,andhopefullywillcontinue
togrowinthefutureasrealizationofthedevastationcausedbysexualassaultcontinuestogrow.

HistoryofFeminismandSexualAssaultLaws
Feminismhasbeenaprominentsocialmovementforcenturies.Feminismhashelpedtogain
equalitiesforwomen,fromvotingrightstoparticipationinsports.Feminismhasalsoplayeda
majorroleinchangingthedefinitionofsexualconsentinAmericathroughouthistoryand
continuestodosotoday.Beforethe1970s,thedefinitionofrapewasverynarrow,andthe
processforprosecutingrapewasdifficultandplacedalotofpressureonthevictim.Only
incidentsinvolvingsignificantphysicalforcecouldbedefinedasrape,andvictimshadtoprove,
oftenthroughinjuriesobtained,thedegreeoftheirresistanceinordertohaveanylegalgrounds
toproveanallegationofrape(Fulcher420).Inaddition,theunderstandingofdomesticviolence
wasverydifferent.Ahusbandcouldnotbeprosecutedforrapinghiswife,asthelaws
determinedthatawifewasahusbandspropertytodowithashepleased(Fulcher421).Priorto
the1970s,mostlegislationrequiredcorroborationinrapecases,unlikeallothercrimes,which
onlyrequiredavictimswordasevidence(Fulcher422).Courtsrequiredvictimstosubmittheir
ownsexualhistoryasevidence,claimingthatitwasr
elevantindeterminingissuesofconsent
andcredibility(Fulcher422).Today,largelythankstofeministactivism,manyoftheselaws
havebeenchanged,andthelegaldefinitionofrapehasbeenaltered.

Fromthe1970sonward,thedefinitionofrapeandsexualassault,inthelaw,policy,andpublic
eyehavechangedgreatly.Therequirementofforceandofresistancewasdroppedbymost

states,andtheissueofconsenthastakenamoreprominentrole(Futter).Inaddition,the
criminalizationofothernonconsensualsexualactsbegan,andlawsemergedtoprotectspouses
andmen,whoinpreviousdefinitioncouldnotbevictimsofrape(Futter).Feministactivists
foughtforthesechangesaspartofasearchforequalityforwomen,toimprovethetreatmentof
victimsbothinandoutofthecourt,andtomakeit
easiertogetconvictionsinrapecases.The
movementsoughttochangepublicperceptionsof
rapeandthevictimsofrape.Whilethismovement
waslargelysuccessful,itwasnotcomplete.Rape
andsexualassaultremainedhugeproblemsfacing
thecountry,andwerestillrarelyseenasapriority
onthenationalagenda,oreveninthemediaorpublicperception.

FeminismToday
Withintheuniversitysetting,ashiftinthedefinitionofsexualassaultandconsentandtheway
thatweviewthesetermsandissuesiscurrentlyoccurring.Today,feminismhasbroughtthe
focusofequalitytomodernissuessuchasunwantedsexualcontactbetweenacquaintances.
Thirdwavefeminism,atermcoinedin1992byRebeccaWalker,iscenteredarounddiversity
andequalityregardlessofrace,socioeconomicclassorsexualorientation(Cowden350).The
movementhastriedtoreachabroaderaudiencethanpreviousfeministcampaigns,whichoften
wererunbyandfoughtfortherightsofprimarilywhite,welloffwomen.Throughitsmore
encompassingnature,feminismhasbroughtwithitachangeinsocietysattitudeandviewof

sexualassaultoncollegecampuses,andhopefullywillcontinuetobringaboutchangesinthe
legalandpolicymakingareasaswell.

SexualAssaultonCollegeCampuses
Intermsofpolicyandlaw,significantchangeshavealreadybeenmadeveryrecentlytocombat
theproblemofsexualassaultoncollegecampuses.Oneofthebiggeststepshasbeenredefining
consent.Lawsonconsentarepassedstatebystate,andmanystateshavemadesignificant
changesinthelastfewyears.Forexample,Californianowoperatesunderanaffirmativeconsent
law,whichessentiallymeansconsentisnowdefinedasyesmeansyesratherthannomeans
no(Grinberg).Inotherstates,whileverbalconsentmaynotbeexplicitlyrequired,the
definitionofconsentorlackofconsentischanging.Changesregardingalcoholareespecially
pertinenttocollegecampuseswherealcoholisinvolvedinmanyincidentsofsexualassault.
Manystatesnowhavelawsthatdecreethatconsentcannotbeobtainedfromanintoxicated
personand,inaddition,thatconsentatonetimeorinonesituationdoesnotapplytoall
situations.Inaddition,nationalmovementstocombatsexualassaultoncollegecampuseshave
recentlyemerged.In2011,theWhiteHouseissuesaDearColleagueletterregardingTitleIXof
the1972EducationAmendmentsanditsrelationshiptosexualassault.TitleIXisinplaceto
protectthediscriminationofindividualsbasedonsexineducationprogramsandactivitiesthat
receivefederalfinancialassistance.Theletterstatedthatsexualviolenceinterferedwitha
studentsrighttoeducationandby
nottakingappropriatemeasures,
collegesanduniversitieswouldbe
consideredinviolationofTitleIX.

InAprilof2014PresidentObamasignedaPresidentialMemorandumformingtheWhiteHouse
TaskForcetoProtectStudentsfromSexualAssault.Intheirfirstreport,thetaskforce
emphasizedtheseriousnessofsexualassaultoncollegecampuses,andputtheresponsibilityon
allpeopletohelpcombatthisproblem,byactingouttoprotectothersandnotblamingvictims.
Thereportalsoencouragedcollegesanduniversitiestotakemoreresponsibilityineffectively
identifying,preventing,andrespondingtosexualassaultsoncampuses.Newlawsand
institutionalchangeshaveplacedalotoffocusnotjustonpreventingassaults,butalsoon
removingstigmasplacedonthevictimsofsexualassaultandonhelpingvictimstorecover.

Thesechangeshavebeguntogreatlychangethewaythenationasawholethinksaboutsexual
assault,andalotofthesechangesatthe
institutionallevelcanbetracedto
changesinpublicattitudeandbeliefs.
Todaysnewwaveoffeminismhas
broughtwithitmovementstoendvictim
blamingandslutshaming.Victim
blamingandslutshamingareideasthatthevictimsofsexualassaultare
somehowtoblame,ordeservingoftheassaultinsomeway,whetherit
beduetoclothingorpastsexualexperiences.Feminismtodayis
centered,amongotherthings,aroundtheideaofsexpositivity.Useof
wordslikeslut,whichjudgewomenfortheirsexualactivityor
perceivedsexualactivityhavebeenincreasinglydiscouragedby

feminists.Inaddition,feminismandideasofsexpositivityhavebecomemoreandmore
mainstreamoverthepastfewyears.Viralstoriescirculatingsocialmediahaveplayedabigpart
inthis.StoriesaboutEmmaSulkowicz,theColumbiastudentcarryingamattressaroundcampus
toprotesttheschoolstreatmentofherrape,havegoneviralandhelpedbringpublicattentionto
theissues(
Grigoriadis
).Storieslikethishaveplayedalargepartinbringingfeminismandits
connectionswithsexualassaulttothepublicattention,therebybringingaboutachangein
attitude.

Inthepastfewyears,sexualassaultespeciallyoncollegecampuseshasreceivedunprecedented
attention.Thisattentionislargelythankstoaresurgenceofthefeministmovement,anda
redefinitionofthepurposeandaudienceoffeminismtoday.Asthepopularityandawarenessof
feminismhasgrown,sotoohastheawarenessofsexualassault,andinturngrowingawareness
hasledtorealinstitutionalchangeattheuniversity,state,andnationallevels.Inthefuture,as
feminismcontinuestogainmomentumandpopularityamongdiversegroupsofnotjustwomen,
butalsomen,thesechangeswilllikelyexpandaswell.Lawsandpolicieschangingtodayare
concreteexamplesofthechangeamovementcancause.Inthepast,feministschallenging
societysattitudesbroughtaboutchange,showingthatattitudechangesandlegalchanges
supporteachother.Ofcourse,changeisneverinevitable,andthechangestodaydonotguarantee
furtherprogressinthefuture.Buttheprogressoftodayhascertainlybeenamonumentalshift,
andwiththerightattentionandattitude,cancontinuetochangethefuture.


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