<p>[Because</a> it was never adequately addressed at all | University of Richmond Collegian ? University of Richmond News](<a href=“http://thecollegianur.com/2011/04/21/because-it-was-never-adequately-addressed-at-all/20397/]Because”>http://thecollegianur.com/2011/04/21/because-it-was-never-adequately-addressed-at-all/20397/)</p>
<p>Would anyone like to comment on this OP Ed piece in the Collegian? Based on many of the student comments, this is an issue that needs to be addressed on campus.</p>
<p>ny, welcome back. Can always count on you to sling mud.</p>
<p>Not a student, so I cannot speak to how things are now, but I have read this girl’s articles for a while, and it’s obvious (not with this piece) that she pushes her agenda, using the newspaper.</p>
<p>That said, I believe that things can only get better by having victims come forward. I understand the concerns, but if girls allow guys to get away with crap like this, it’s only going to happen to someone else.</p>
<p>I feel comfortable in saying that anyone found guilty of things that have been written about will be properly punished both by the school and proper authorities.</p>
<p>I didn’t write the article so I don’t see why you’re accusing me of slinging mud. I read it and I was wondering if the views expressed by the author were an accurate description of a hidden problem on campus or perhaps an editorial based more on an idea to provoke discussion about sexual assaults.</p>
<p>nysmile - my freshman daughter knows of zero incidents like those described in the editorial. The police reports and crime statistics for the school do not seem to support the allegations: [Annual</a> Campus Crime Statistics - Police Department - University of Richmond](<a href=“Crime Log Disclaimer - Police Department - University of Richmond”>Crime Log Disclaimer - Police Department - University of Richmond)</p>
<p>PAV, that’s good to know. I was just so taken aback with this piece as well as the corresponding student comments. </p>
<p>I always take college reported crime statistics with a grain of salt because so much goes on that’s never reported—this goes for all colleges, not just Richmond.</p>
<p>[Rape</a> on campus underreported | University of Richmond Collegian ? University of Richmond News](<a href=“http://thecollegianur.com/2009/02/12/rape-on-campus-underreported/6926/]Rape”>http://thecollegianur.com/2009/02/12/rape-on-campus-underreported/6926/)</p>
<p>This is an example of what I mean about taking the Crime Statistics Report with a grain of salt. From the above 2009 article:</p>
<p>“During the 2007 to 2008 school year, eight women reported to the dean’s office that they were sexually assaulted, Landphair said.”</p>
<p>However, I don’t see this anywhere on the reported 2007-2008 Crime Report. Unless the students follow through with reporting the crime to police, it goes unreported on the Crime Statistics Report. Perhaps this is what the writer of the editorial linked in post #21 was trying to address. Victims of on campus crimes need to follow through with police rather than only reporting the incident with college administration and campus security.</p>
<p>Sunny17, thanks for your response. I recently visited Smith and decided that is wasn’t for me, for I think some of the same reasons you described – culture shock, atmosphere. I was really disappointed because Smith had everything I wanted, but I just couldn’t see myself there for 4 years.
Re your comment about women speaking up in math and science classes – I had kind of an ironic experience about this at Smith. I sat in on a science class, with about 40 women and 2 men students, who sat together in the front row. Of the many questions / comments in the class, well over half were from these 2 guys. So much for women-only education.</p>
<p>Date rape is a tough one to prosecute. In our justice system, the accused is innocent until proven guilty, and when there are just two people involved in something and it hinges entirely on who is telling the truth, unless there is some compelling admissable evidence, I would have to say the accused has to go free. However, there are no winners in such a situation, since if the accused were truly innocent and was a victim of someone who wanted to “get at him” (and yes, it happens), just the accusation itself is a horrible thing to have happen, never mind the police involvment, university involvment, publcity, trial even if the verdict is not guilty or if the case is dropped. The accuser does not come out of this well enough. It’s lose, lose all of the way.</p>
<p>^agree…</p>
<p>I can speak for the falsely accused. It was 30 years ago but a similar accusation from a bitter ex-girlfriend ran me out of town. It was a horrible experience. </p>
<p>I am not defending anyone accused of sexually assaulting anyone. Every case needs to be considered on it’s own merits. There are a lot of BS accusations that make the valid accusations even more difficult. There was an incident earlier this year at Richmond that went something like, “a female WC student was sexually assaulted by an unknown assailant, in an unknown location and an unknown time.” That was reported and will show up in the 2011 crime report but I think there is a story behind this accusation that may spread out the culpability.</p>
<p>The side of Richmond or Greek life or college life that Fiona discusses in most of her articles, including this one, was a side that I never chose to be involved in, so I can’t really speak to her experience, or the experiences of those she interviewed. </p>
<p>It’s a difficult issue to talk about because of the disconnect between the reality of society at this moment and the ideals that we strive to support–e.g. the “well, she was asking for it” argument. A woman should be able to wear whatever she wants, drink whatever she wants, dance however she wants and not be assaulted. I believe that. But that’s not the reality. Women and men take advantage of situations in which they ought not take advantage…but they do.</p>