Letter to the Editor

The article published on June 13, "Prevention methods key to stopping sexual assault," is an extremely misleading, borderline comedic account of how to prevent violent crime on campus. Most people have a romanticized notion that a rapist has to appear violent in order to be violent. The truth is that sexual predators use their relationships with their victims to facilitate opportunity, and even though your article mentioned that, it did little to explore that aspect of sexual assault.\nInstead, you quote a female police officer telling young women to not drink at parties, to only socialize in groups, and that we are all responsible for our own safety. Then she suggests that women should make a 'plan' for what would happen if they were attacked, as if a victim has choices available to her when she is overwhelmed, drugged, or beaten. It is discriminatory and degrading to suggest such precautions, even if the advice does come from another woman. Why would you focus on prevention, when prevention won't stop a criminal from inflicting injury? Where was the paragraph discussing the perpetrators' behaviors and suggesting solutions, treatment, or prosecution for those individuals?\nIt is perfectly reasonable for me to expect that I can go to a party, drink as much as I want, have a great time, get a ride home from a boy, and make it back to my bed alone and unharmed.\nRape is not going to end because women make choices to be safe and careful; it will only end when someone stops making the choice to rape.