From The Seat of a Student
By: Peja Keserovic
TW// Sexual assault
Out of 1,000 sexual assaults, 975 perpetrators will walk free. With only 25 perpetrators being convicted, what message does that give to sexual assault survivors?
If I had a dollar for every time I was reminded of ways to prevent sexual assault, I have no doubt in my mind that I would at least be a millionaire. As a child, discussions about inappropriate physical contact and where to get help were not unfamiliar to me. As I grow older the list of things to abide by continues to grow.
Carry pepper spray. Carry a taser. Don’t walk alone. Don’t walk outside at night. Make sure you’re not being followed. Make sure you’re always sharing your location with someone. Text people your plans and whereabouts. If you're hanging out with someone for the first time, give a friend their name and address. Don't drink alcohol at a party. Mention that you have a boyfriend (even if you don't).
The focus on the victim’s prevention methods rather than the perpetrator could make this list continue forever. It does not matter how hard you try to prevent something like sexual assault from occurring doesn’t automatically make the chances of it happening to go to zero.
As a student, I would think that I would at least have some solace feeling safe and protected by my University right? Yet, I am always on guard because that’s the way I was taught to be, and have to be after seeing the way IUPUI handles sexual assault cases. Especially last year living in the dorms. After hearing of multiple incidents in and around my dorm, it was hard to feel safe even walking in the hallways of my building alone, let alone to the parking garage, or anywhere else outside.
Even this year, in September, a student was sexually assaulted in one of the stairwells of University Tower, IUPUIs statement following a protest that happened after the fact stated, “IUPUI officials are taking this sexual assault seriously. They're looking into all options, including adding cameras to places where there currently are none.” Yet this was in September, with it being almost December now, why has there been no follow-up on the installation of cameras in places where there aren’t already in residence halls?
Another thing that shocks me is that IUPUI has not officially shared that Callisto is now a service available to all Indiana University and Purdue University students. Callisto is a third party website that allows victims to report sexual assault perpetrators by acknowledging that a majority of perpetrators tend to be repeat offenders, “Survivors on campuses where Callisto is available can enter an offender’s unique identifying details (like a phone number or email address) into the system. If two or more survivors name the same offender, a ‘Match’ occurs and each survivor is connected with their own Legal Options Counselor who can help them navigate their options for taking action.” With a tool like this, it can feel less daunting to report sexual assault, and can help victims feeling more supported knowing that they are not the only one who was assaulted by someone. Callisto became available to IU and Purdue students on 11/15, yet neither of these universities has announced Callisto being available on their social media. These schools state that they want to protect students and care about their wellbeing, so why is a potentially life-changing tool being withheld from the general student population?
Even on November 6th, two Purdue students were arrested for hanging up wanted signs for a university official allegedly stating that “that sexual assaults would not happen if they adhered to the “bring your own beer” policy installed in many Greek and cooperative life functions () The two students were arrested for vandalism because the adhesive used was “difficult to remove”, yet the adhesive used is reported to be a mixture of water and flour.
As not only a student but also a victim of sexual assault, it is disheartening and enraging to see the ways that universities handle sexual assault. As a student at IUPUI, I feel that the university cares more about its reputation and status more than the well-being of its students. My question for them is… how many more students have to be a victim of sexual assault for the university to finally have an attitude change on how they protect their students?