Here in Texas, the rape of female college students has been in the news -- thanks to the scandal at Baylor University (a private religious-based university). That scandal has seen the university chancellor and football coach forced out of office for not dealing with the problem of campus rapes. But Baylor is far from being the only college campus with a rape problem.
The University of Texas recently did a survey of its undergraduate students on the problem -- surveying 28,000 students at its 13 campuses. The results were rather shocking. It turns out that 15% of female undergraduates in the UT system have been raped. That would translate into more than 3,000 raped women just at its Austin campus.
This is unacceptable. This kind of figure means the campus is literally a dangerous place for women. The good thing is that the University of Texas is trying to remedy the problem. UT-Austin spokesman J.B. Bird said:
"These findings, which reflect problems endemic to our society, are highly disturbing. UT-Austin is committed to addressing sexual misconduct by speaking about it openly and developing programs and initiatives to end sexual violence, change behaviors and discipline offenders."
This is not just a UT or Baylor problem. A nationwide survey in 2015 found that 18.5% of students had been sexually assaulted by "force or incapacitation". The problem of rape/sexual assault is a problem that exists in every state, and on most college campuses (both public and private) -- and as the Baylor example shows, religious-based colleges are not exempt from the problem.
Rape and sexual assault are no laughing matter. They are serious crimes -- and it is time for all colleges and universities to deal seriously with those crimes. A college campus should be a safe place for all students to learn -- not a place where students, especially females, must fear for their safety.
NOTE -- The definition of rape used in the UT study was:
"having oral sex with someone, making someone perform oral sex, or penetrating someone's vagina or anus with penis, fingers or other objects without their consent, by use of verbal pressure, taking advantage of them when they're incapacitated, threatening to harm or using force."
