Skip to content

Details

This is going to be an online meetup using Zoom. If you've never used Zoom before, don't worry — it's easy to use and free to join.

Click on the link above at the scheduled date/time to log in...

***

***

WHAT SHOULD WE MAKE OF THE "CAMPUS RAPE CRISIS" STORIES IN THE MID-2010s?

DID THE MEDIA CALL ATTENTION TO A REAL RAPE EPIDEMIC ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES, OR WAS IT JUST A MORAL PANIC OVER COLLEGE HOOKUP CULTURE?

INTRODUCTION:
Due to the recent media coverage of the "Cornell Seven" legal case, I figured it might be useful to revisit a Skeptics meetup I hosted way back in Feb. 2020 that addressed the available evidence we have on prevailing trends & contributing factors in the incidence of sexual assault on college campuses during 2010s. I fixed some broken links and replaced a few videos that were taken down, but I didn't have time to update the information sources for the 2020s and see how things have changed. Therefore, we'll mostly be focused on conditions on college campuses in the 2010s, although this certainly has some relevance for the situation today. Hopefully, along the way, we can clear up some misconceptions that have proliferated in the public sphere due to the media's focus on a few high-profile cases and get a better sense of how big the overall problem is, which types of colleges are the most heavily implicated, and whether or not it was blown out of proportion. We'll also try to ascertain what factors are correlated with the sexual assault rates on college campuses, and what college administrators & law enforcement should do about it.

In retrospect, it appears that the public debates over rape & sexual assault on college campuses in the mid-2010s was due in large part to the uptick in mainstream news coverage in the wake of the Obama administration's 2011 "Dear Colleague" letter which provided new Title IX guidelines for colleges. The letter told all of the colleges that receive federal money to use a lower standard of proof, a "preponderance of evidence", in sexual assault cases and required universities to allow accusers to appeal not-guilty findings, a form of double jeopardy. It also told schools to accelerate their adjudications, with a recommended 60-day limit, and strongly discouraged cross-examination of accusers. Critics argued this led to many unfair disciplinary hearings & unjustified expulsions, while proponents argued it was a necessary correction since in the past many colleges did little to address high rates of sexual assault on their campuses. (The letter's guidelines were rescinded by Trump's Education Secretary Betsy DeVos in 2017.)

The most notable spikes in news coverage of what came to be known as the "campus rape crisis" came between 2014 & 2016. It started in 2014 with the White House PSA "1 is 2 Many" -- a viral video that featured President Obama & Vice President Biden, as well as several major actors like Daniel Craig, Benicio Del Toro & Steve Carell. The video launched their "It's On Us" campaign to raise awareness about sexual assaults on campus, and this was followed by the passage of California's "affirmative consent" law. That same year, there were a flurry of news stories about art student Emma Sulkowicz carrying her mattress around on Columbia University's campus to protest their dismissal of her rape case against a former friend & fellow student, and there was a major controversy over fact-checking & due diligence in journalism when a Rolling Stone article entitled "A Rape on Campus" about an alleged gang rape at a UVA fraternity had to be retracted due to major inconsistencies in the alleged victim's story. In 2015, Emma Sulkowicz stirred further controversy by releasing a graphic sex tape that reenacted her account of her rape, and the documentary film "The Hunting Ground" painted a dire picture of college campuses overrun by sexual predators, but it was sharply criticized by a group of Harvard law professors who claimed it misrepresented a case at their school. In 2016, the case against Brock Turner for sexual assault at Stanford concluded with a light 6 month sentence sparking public outrage, especially compared to the much longer 15-year sentences received by black football players in the Vanderbilt rape case, and a sexual assault scandal erupted with the football team at Baylor University.

Google Trends show that the topic "campus sexual assault" began to slowly decline in 2017 even as the topic of "sexual assault" increased. This suggests that sexual assault continued to be a major news topic, but there was a divergence due to the news media's focus shifting from colleges to similar problems in the entertainment industry as the allegations against film producer Harvey Weinstein began to break. The Weinstein scandal was quickly followed by allegations of sexual misconduct against a long list of major actors, musicians, newscasters, and business leaders. This was the genesis of the #MeToo Movement, which dominated the discussion of sexual assault & sexual harassment in 2017-2018. "Sex trafficking" continued to capture headlines and peaked in 2020 even as media interest in campus sexual assaults declined, and Google Trends shows the topic of "sex trafficking" has had slow but steady growth through the 2000s, surpassing #MeToo in 2019. (I'm putting "sex trafficking" in quotes because, as we discussed in a past meetup, media accounts often conflate voluntary sex work with coercive pimping and urban legends about kidnappers selling victims into sexual slavery.)

But while the news media may have moved on to broader discussions about sexual misconduct & sexual exploitation, what should the skeptic community make of the "campus rape crisis" that occupied so much public attention in the mid-2010s? Was the problem as bad as we were led to believe? If so, has the problem been successfully addressed by law enforcement & college administrators, or is it just drawing less media coverage?

We must start by noting that while the actual rates of rape & sexual assault are unclear, they are not comparable to the dubious pseudoscientific & paranormal phenomena that scientific skeptics typically investigate. These crimes certainly do occur on college campuses (and elsewhere) and can be incredibly traumatizing for the victims. While some advocates for "restorative justice" favor mandatory therapy and compensation to the victims instead of long-term incarceration, if one subscribes to the theories of "retributive justice" or "expressive justice" (a.k.a. denunciation), it's reasonable to demand that the criminal justice system should give convicted rapists long prison sentences to punish them, express society's abhorrence of their actions, and show solidarity with their victims. To the extent that some violent sex offenders are likely to be recidivist, it makes sense to isolate them from the rest of society through incarceration. And to the extent their crimes are premeditated & "rational" (in an amoral & selfish sense), it makes sense to try to deter would-be sexual predators with the threat of swift & certain punishment.

However, the highly inflammatory nature of sex crimes should also make us wary of the prevailing media narratives around these issues -- especially when we consider "moral panics" in the past that have surrounded allegations of sexual deviancy & sex crimes. These forms of moral panics are common enough they have earned their own term -- "sex panics". Historians, sociologists & social psychologists have identified a series of sex panics through American history, ranging from allegations of sexual congress with the Devil during the Puritan witch trials, to Jim-Crow-era fears of miscegenation & lynchings of black men accused of assaulting white women, the Second Red Scare's targeting of closeted homosexuals in government as potential traitors, and of course the "Satanic Ritual Abuse" panic centered around schools & daycares in the 1980s.

The most prominent critics of the "campus rape crisis" narrative are conservatives & libertarian pundits writing for news outlets like National Review and Reason. They typically agree that activists on the political left are using the "rape crisis" as a pretext for their political agenda, but they differ on what they think the solution should be. Conservative pundits tend to ascribe a bit more credence to the idea that a rise in sexual assaults could be happening but argue that cracking down on "binge drinking" and "hookup culture" is the solution, and they tend to put the onus for this on young women who they argue need to be less promiscuous & more careful. Libertarian pundits, on the other hand, tend to think the statistics on campus sexual assaults are vastly inflated, and they argue that students have the right to drink alcohol & engage in casual sex if that's what they want. Libertarian pundits typically offer environmental solutions like allowing sorority houses to host parties so they can control flow of alcohol, lowering the drinking age to 18 so that younger college students don't have to drink surreptitiously in unsupervised house parties, and legalizing marijuana to allow an alternative to alcohol that's less likely to create an aggressive atmosphere at parties.

Conversely, many feminist activists & left-leaning social scientists are afraid that sexual assaults are increasing on college campuses and that administrators aren't doing enough to catch & punish the perpetrators. They tend to see the real moral panic to be the concerns of conservative & libertarian pundits about a supposed wave of false rape accusations & campus tribunals that function as "kangaroo courts". Pundits & scholars on the political left tend to see their right-wing critics as "rape apologists" and "concern trolls" who want to preserve the patriarchy, "male privilege", "toxic masculinity" and "rape culture". They tend to see rape & sexual assault as a product of a corrupt culture that privileges men's access to sex over women's bodily autonomy, and they typically suggest a mix of sexual education, public shaming, campus disciplinary reform, and a sea change in our criminal justice system as the ultimate solution.

In this meetup, we'll do our best to get past the rhetoric and the hype and look at the what the available research can tell us about the realities of sexual assault on college campuses.

RELEVANT MATERIAL FROM PAST MEETUPS:

We had a meetup in Feb. 2020 entitled "Is #MeToo the Solution to Gender-Based Violence?" that looked at some broader trends in the U.S. for "gender-based violence" (e.g. sexual assault, sexual harassment, domestic violence). They also tried to assess whether or not the #MeToo Movement helped to reduce these crime rates.

Back in May 2018, the Skeptics had a meetup entitled "The Campus Rape Crisis & Sex Trafficking" where we discussed why some skeptics think the media's focus on the role of "date rape drugs" in campus assault cases is misplaced, how & why the news media gets some high-profile college rape cases wrong (e.g. the Duke lacrosse case in 2006, the Rolling Stone article about a UVA fraternity in 2014, the Hunting Ground documentary film in 2015), how "Missing White Girl Syndrome" leads the media to neglect the plight of women of color & men/boys who've gone missing, and how the media perpetuates myths about sex trafficking.

In July 2019, the Skeptics had a meetup entitled "Debunking 'Cyber-Sex Panics'" where we looked at some of the misconceptions people have about the influence of the internet on the incidence of sex crimes. While some people believe that the proliferation of internet porn must've incited more people to commit sexual assault, crime stats suggest that it may have actually been one of the causes of the decline in sexual assault rates since the 1990s. Similarly, while many people consider online dating more dangerous than traditional dating, statistics suggest that it's no more dangerous. Children also don't appear to be at a particularly high risk from sexual predators when they go online, despite the fears of many parents. Lastly, we discussed how the recent media focus on the online "incel" subculture (i.e. involuntary celibate males) calls out some misogynistic & violent comments in their forums but also includes elements of a "moral panic" similar to what we've previously seen around stigmatized youth subcultures like metalheads, goths & emo kids.

Also in July 2019, we had a meetup entitled "Has The Internet Ruined Romance & Relationships?" We looked at the debates about more general social problems surrounding the ubiquity of internet porn, the rise of online dating, teen internet use & sexting, and the alleged "sex recession" among Millennials. They also addressed the political debates about whether the government should try to legislate sexual morality, even in cases where no crime has occurred, simply to stabilize society and incentivize marriage & child-rearing.
----------------------------------------------------
DIRECTIONS ON HOW TO PREPARE FOR OUR DISCUSSION:
The videos & articles you see linked below are intended to give you a basic overview of some of the major debates over the incidence of rape & sexual assault on college campuses. As usual, I certainly don't expect you to read all the articles & watch all the videos prior to attending our discussion. The easiest way to prepare for our discussion is to just watch the numbered videos linked under each section - the videos come to about 50 minutes total. The articles marked with asterisks are just there to supply additional details. You can browse and look at whichever ones you want, but don't worry - we'll cover the stuff you missed in our discussion.

In terms of the discussion format, my general idea is that we'll address the topics in the order presented here. I figure we'll spend about 30 minutes on each section. I've listed some questions to help stimulate discussion, but we'll also address those posed by our members.
----------------------------------------------------
I. STATISTICS ON THE PREVALENCE OF CAMPUS SEXUAL ASSAULTS:

  • ARE STUDENT SURVEYS THAT INDICATE 1-IN-4 OR 1-IN-5 WOMEN WILL BE RAPED OR SEXUALLY ASSAULTED IN COLLEGE ACCURATE, OR DO THEY SUFFER FROM "NON-RESPONSE BIAS" (I.E. NON-VICTIMS ARE LESS LIKELY RETURN THE SURVEY)? DO THEY EQUATE "UNWANTED KISSING OR TOUCHING" WITH "SEXUAL ASSAULT" OR EQUATE "DRUNK SEX" WITH "RAPE"? IS THE CAMPUS SEXUAL ASSAULT RATE MORE LIKE 1-IN-40, AS CHRISTINA HOFF SOMMERS CLAIMS?
  • ARE COLLEGE STUDENTS MORE LIKELY TO BE SEXUALLY ASSAULTED THAN NON-STUDENTS THEIR AGE?
  • HAVE RAPE & SEXUAL ASSAULT BEEN INCREASING ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES IN RECENT YEARS, OR IS THIS MERELY AN APPARENT RISE DUE TO INCREASED AWARENESS OF THE EXISTING PROBLEM?
  • IS IT TRUE THAT THE COLLEGE STUDENTS MOST AT THE RISK OF SEXUAL ASSAULT ARE FRESHMEN DURING THE "RED ZONE" - I.E. FIRST 2-3 MONTHS OF COLLEGE?
  • ARE FRATERNITY MEMBERS & STUDENT ATHLETES OVERREPRESENTED AMONG CAMPUS PERPETRATORS OF RAPE & SEXUAL ASSAULT?
  • HOW ACCURATE ARE DAVID LISAK'S STUDY THAT SHOWED 6% OF COLLEGE MEN ADMITTED TO "NON-CONSENSUAL SEX" & KEVIN SWARTOUT'S STUDY THAT SHOWED A HIGHER NUMBER OF ~11%?

1a) Christina Hoff Sommers, "Campus sexual assault: Bad statistics don't help victims" (video - 3:50 min.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5XMuTAomNk
1b) Christina Hoff Sommers, "Sexual assault myths: Part 2" (video - 5:10 min.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dq3Ju_sI_Ew
1c) Newsy, "Is There A Link Between College Football Game Days And Rape?" (video - 1:14 min.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGcEUp1GpNs
1d) 11Alive, "Verify: is the [fall] 'red zone' for college students' sexual assault risk real?" (video - 1:50 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VN4awzwT2s

II. STUDENT DRINKING CULTURE & HOW IT MAKES ASSESSING CONSENT & MEMORY IN ACQUAINTANCE RAPE CASES DIFFICULT:

  • WHAT PERCENTAGE OF RAPES & SEXUAL ASSAULTS ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES INVOLVE ALCOHOL?
  • DO MANY STUDIES OF CAMPUS RAPE EQUATE CONSENSUAL DRUNK SEX WITH RAPING AN UNCONSCIOUS VICTIM?
  • DOES THE SUNY BUFFALO STUDY THAT INDICATED 17.6% OF COLLEGE MEN ADMITTED COMMITTING "SEXUAL AGGRESSION" WHILE DRINKING EQUATE "FORCED SEX" WITH "UNWANTED CONTACT"?
  • DO DRINKING LOCATIONS - SPECIFICALLY OFF-CAMPUS PARTIES VS ON-CAMPUS PARTIES - PLAY A BIGGER ROLE IN SEXUAL ASSAULT THAN JUST THE DRINKING ITSELF? IF SO, COULD THIS BE RELATED TO THE "COUPLING" PHENOMENON MALCOLM GLADWELL DISCUSSES IN HIS BOOK TALKING TO STRANGERS?
  • DOES RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA POSE A SIMILAR PROBLEM AS ALCOHOL, OR DOES IT DECREASE SEXUAL AGGRESSION? DO CAMPUSES IN STATES WITH LEGAL MARIJUANA SHOW ANY CHANGE IN SEXUAL ASSAULT RATES?
  • HOW MANY CASES OF SEXUAL ASSAULT INVOLVE "DATE RAPE DRUGS" (E.G. GHB, ROHYPNOL)? COULD STUDENTS OVERESTIMATE THEIR PREVALENCE DUE TO MISIDENTIFYING ALCOHOL-INDUCED BLACKOUTS AS CASES OF BEING "ROOFIED"?
  • COULD "CAUTIONARY TALES" ABOUT DATE RAPE DRUGS, EVEN IF OVERBLOWN, MOTIVATE YOUNG PEOPLE TO ENGAGE IN BENEFICIAL BEHAVIORS LIKE DRINKING LESS AND/OR WATCHING OUT FOR FRIENDS WHO APPEAR TO BE TOO INTOXICATED? OR DO FEARS OF DATE RAPE DRUGS DISPLACE MORE GROUNDED CONCERNS ABOUT BINGE DRINKING?
  • WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN "BLACKING OUT" & "PASSING OUT" FROM ALCOHOL? IN THE FORMER CASE, IS IT POSSIBLE THAT PEOPLE COULD CONSENT TO SEX BUT NOT REMEMBER?
  • HOW DOES ALCOHOL & ADRENALINE INTERACT TO AFFECT A VICTIM'S MEMORY IN A CASE OF SEXUAL ASSAULT? IS IT LIKELY THAT THE VICTIM WILL REMEMBER WHO ASSAULTED THEM BUT NOT MUCH ELSE?

2a) WIVBTV, "Research Scientist studies risks of alcohol and sex in young women" (video - 2:09 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqz07snS3TM
2b) WKBW TV w/ Sherri Darrow, "[SUNY Buffalo] Study finds drinking locations linked to sexual assault" (video - 2:14 min.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afCkgcNRGVs
2c) Caroline Kitchens, "Date rape drugs: Facts vs. myths explained" (video - 5:19 min.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qu90VKEa2xk
2d) Jim Hopper, "Sexual Assault, Intoxication & Memory" (video - 3:26 min.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9gaITxFsjs

III. THE DEBATES OVER "HOOKUP CULTURE", AFFIRMATIVE CONSENT & BYSTANDER INTERVENTION TRAINING, AND THEIR EFFECTS ON CAMPUS SEXUAL NORMS:

  • IS COLLEGE "HOOKUP CULTURE" MOSTLY LIMITED TO GREEK LIFE AT BIG STATE UNIVERSITIES, OR DOES A PARTY SCENE WITH HOOKUPS INEVITABLY DEVELOP AT ALL RESIDENTIAL COLLEGES?
  • WHAT PORTION OF COLLEGE STUDENTS ARE ENGAGED IN "HOOKUP CULTURE" - I.E. THEY'RE SEXUALLY ACTIVE BUT DON'T HAVE A SIGNIFICANT OTHERS? DOES IT USUALLY INVOLVE "ONE NIGHT STANDS" WITH DIFFERENT PARTNERS OR "FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS" & POLYAMORY?
  • IS "HOOKUP CULTURE" MOSTLY A RESULT OF A SHIFT IN SOCIAL NORMS AWAY FROM TRADITIONAL DATING? OR IS IT MORE A PRODUCT OF UNEQUAL GENDER RATIOS AT COLLEGES THAT PUSH WOMEN TO COMPETE FOR MEN USING CASUAL SEX, AS JON BIRGER ARGUES?
  • ARE MOST SEXUAL ASSAULTS ON CAMPUS A PRODUCT OF HOOKUP CULTURE & BINGE DRINKING LEADING PSYCHOLOGICALLY "NORMAL" MALES TO HAVE SEX WITH WOMEN WHEN CONSENT ISN'T CLEAR, AS "AFFIRMATIVE CONSENT" PROGRAMS IMPLY? OR ARE MOST CASES COMMITTED BY PREDATORIAL SERIAL RAPISTS, AS DAVID LISAK ARGUES? IF IT'S THE LATTER, DO SEXUAL PREDATORS USE DRINKING & HOOKUP CULTURE FOR "CAMOUFLAGE", AS LISA WADE SUGGESTS?
  • ARE THERE STUDIES THAT SUGGEST THE "AFFIRMATIVE CONSENT" TRAINING PROGRAMS BEING ADOPTED BY MANY COLLEGE CAN REDUCE THE INCIDENCE OF SEXUAL ASSAULT? IF NOT, DOES THE BENEFICIAL RESULTS FROM PUBLIC SCHOOL SEX ED CLASSES (I.E. LOWERED TEEN PREGNANCY RATES) SUGGEST IT WILL PROBABLY WORK, OR ARE THESE COLLEGE SEMINARS MORE AKIN TO THE CORPORATE SEXUAL HARASSMENT TRAINING THAT STUDIES SUGGEST DO NOT WORK?
  • ARE THERE STUDIES THAT SUGGEST "BYSTANDER INTERVENTION TRAINING" CAN REDUCE THE INCIDENCE OF SEXUAL ASSAULT? IS BYSTANDER INTERVENTION MORE PLAUSIBLE NOW THAT STUDIES SHOW THE "BYSTANDER EFFECT" WAS OVERSTATED, OR ARE AN ACQUAINTANCE RAPIST'S ATTEMPT TO ISOLATE THEIR VICTIM USUALLY TOO AMBIGUOUS TO RELY ON BYSTANDER INTERVENTION?
  • IS BYSTANDER INTERVENTION PLAGUED BY RACIAL BIASES, SO THAT BLACK WOMEN ARE LESS LIKELY TO BE HELPED BY WHITE PEERS? DOES THE TENDENCY OF COLLEGE WOMEN TO "SLUT-SHAME" LOWER CLASS PEERS SUGGEST THERE MIGHT ALSO BE CLASSIST BIASES THAT PREVENT INTERVENTION?
  • IS BYSTANDER INTERVENTION FROM MEN INHIBITED BY CAMPUS FEMINISTS WHO OFTEN PORTRAY "WHITE KNIGHT" BEHAVIOR AS OUT-DATED & CONDESCENDING? OR IS IT MOSTLY INHIBITED BY THE "BROS BEFORE HOES" ETHIC IN MALE GROUPS?

3a) NY Mag, "Is 'Hook-Up Culture Real?" (video - 2:31 min.)
https://youtu.be/PtQx-rhsnJU
3b) SciShow Psych, "Is the Bystander Effect Real?" (video - 5:08 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rv22TMtNNkI
3c) PBS NewsHour w/ Jaclyn Friedman & Shikha Dalmia, "'Will saying yes to affirmative consent curb sexual assault?'" (video - 6:55 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvf3oKshj-U

IV. THE "PERFECT VICTIM MYTH", FALSE MEMORIES VS FALSE ACCUSATIONS, AND THE DEBATE OVER WHETHER FEAR OF FALSE RAPE ALLEGATIONS ARE A MORAL PANIC:

  • WHAT IS THE ESTIMATED REPORTING RATE FOR CASES OF RAPE/SEXUAL ASSAULT, WHEN WE COMPARE VICTIM SURVEYS TO POLICE RECORDS?
  • HOW COMMON ARE FALSE ALLEGATIONS OF RAPE/SEXUAL ASSAULT, ACCORDING TO LAW ENFORCEMENT STATS? IS THERE A GREY AREA DUE TO ALLEGATIONS THAT WEREN'T SUBSTANTIATED BUT ALSO WEREN'T DISPROVEN?
  • IS IT TRUE THAT AN "ILLUSION OF CONTROL BIAS" &
    "SYSTEM JUSTIFICATION" (A.K.A. JUST-WORLD HYPOTHESIS) MAY CAUSE PEOPLE TO OVEREMPHASIZE THE ROLE OF A PERSON'S BEHAVIOR IN DETERMINING WHETHER OR NOT THEY BECOMES THE VICTIM OF SEXUAL ASSAULT? COULD THIS ALSO LEAD TO "VICTIM-BLAMING" & SUSPICIONS OF A FALSE ACCUSATION IF A PERSON REPORTING A SEXUAL ASSAULT DOESN'T FIT THE STEREOTYPE OF A "PERFECT VICTIM" -- I.E. SOBER & CONSERVATIVELY DRESSED AT THE TIME OF THE ASSAULT, NOT ROMANTICALLY INVOLVED WITH THE PERPETRATOR, AND VISIBLY DISTRAUGHT WHILE REPORTING IT TO POLICE IMMEDIATELY AFTER?
  • ARE DELAYED MEMORIES OF A SEXUAL ASSAULT COMMON DUE TO TRAUMATIC REPRESSION (A.K.A. DISSOCIATIVE AMNESIA)? IF SO, CAN COUNSELORS HELP VICTIMS REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENED, OR DOES THIS POSE A RISK OF CREATING FALSE MEMORIES THAT LEAD TO FALSE ACCUSATIONS?
  • DO PEOPLE WHO MAKE FALSE ACCUSATIONS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT TEND TO FIT A PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE? IF NOT, ARE FALSE ACCUSATIONS MORE THE RESULT OF CERTAIN SITUATIONS THAT PROVOKE REGRET (E.G. INFIDELITY, SLUT-SHAMING, UNWANTED PREGNANCY, REJECTION, ETC.)?
  • DOES DELAYED REPORTING OF A SEXUAL ASSAULT INCREASE THE CHANCES THAT THE COMPLAINANT IS MAKING A FALSE ACCUSATION, OR IS THIS NORMAL BECAUSE IT OFTEN TAKES TIME FOR A VICTIM TO WORK UP THE COURAGE? WHAT ABOUT CASES WHERE THE COMPLAINANT WAS FRIENDLY WITH THEIR ALLEGED ATTACKER FOR SEVERAL WEEKS BEFORE MAKING THE ACCUSATION?
  • WHY MIGHT BLACK MALE STUDENTS (6% OF UNDERGRADS) BE OVERREPRESENTED AMONG THOSE ACCUSED OF RAPE & SEXUAL ASSAULT? IS THIS THE RESULT OF RACIAL BIAS OR DIFFERENT BEHAVIOR?
  • DOES THE INCREASE IN TITLE IX LAWSUITS AGAINST COLLEGES IN THE LATE 2010s SHOW PROGRESS BECAUSE SEXUAL ASSAULT VICTIMS SUED THEIR SCHOOLS FOR NOT PROTECTING THEM? OR DOES IT INDICATE SCHOOLS MAY HAVE DEVIATED TOO FAR FROM DUE PROCESS, OPENING THEMSELVES TO SUITS BY MEN WHO WERE FALSELY ACCUSED?

4a) ABC News, "Rape graphic [from the Enliven Project] goes viral with surprising statistic on false rape accusations" (video - 1:56 min.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pf3Z1poOK7s
4b) Seamus Coughlin, "Only 2% Of Rape Accusations Are False?" (video - 3:14 min.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8zSDvaYrRw
4c) Jackie Fuchs, "Victim blaming and the 'just world' fallacy" (video - 2:23 min.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJfCOLKv6fc
4d) BBC w/ Vanessa Grigoriandis & Jim Hopper, "Why people can take years to report sexual assaults" (vide - 2:30 min.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2t7Sj2k1CK4

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Related topics

College Students
Sex and Sexuality
Sociology
Criminal Justice
Gender

You may also like