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Sexual Assault Awareness: What You Need to Know, Both On and Off Campus

Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Jessica Vella
Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Kathryn Burgner
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Bentley chapter.


Rape. Unwanted Sexual Intercourse. Sexual Assault. Battery.
 
These are all terms you hear in relation to sexual assault. Massachusetts defines sexual assault as “forced or coerced sexual intercourse using force or the threat of force.” Any form of sexual contact without the consent of a person is denoted as sexual assault.
 
In the two minutes it takes you to read this article, someone in the United States is sexually assaulted, according to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network. 60 percent of sexual assaults are usually not ever reported to the police; this means 15 of 16 rapists never have to spend a minute in jail.
 
You may ask, “Why is this important to me? I’m never with someone I don’t know and who could possibly rape me.”
 
Little do we know, almost TWO THIRDS of sexual assaults are committed by someone that the victim knows. Whether it is just an acquaintance or a friend, a majority of sexual assaults occur between two people that do, in fact, know each other.
 
Many people underestimate the number of sexual assaults, both attempted as well as completed, that actually occur on college campuses. 1 in 4 women are the victims of rape in colleges today.
 
One of the strongest predictors of a rape on a college campus is alcohol. Statistics from Crisis Connection show that 90 percent of all rapes that occur on college campuses are related to the influence of alcohol. 40 percent of males report that they believe that a woman who consumes alcohol on a date is seen to be a willing sexual partner, and these males believe that it is acceptable to coerce sexual intercourse or sexual acts on a woman who is clearly intoxicated.
 
Here at Bentley, every member of the community has the right to receive help after being sexually or physically assaulted or harassed. Bentley has many resources to uphold the rights of the community members in relation to physical safety and freedom from any type of harassment.
 
Campus Police has 24-hour emergency help via telephone (781.891.3131). Any victim of sexual assault should not feel that he or she is alone and there are numerous people here at Bentley that can help if someone has been sexually assaulted. Some of these resources include, Counseling & Student Development, The Center for Health & Wellness, Office of Student Affairs, and Human Resources.

Although Bentley has endless resources to help victims of sexual assault, it is our job as members of the community to work with these resources to help raise awareness and prevention of sexual assault.

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Kathryn Burgner is a member of the class of 2013 at Bentley University and is majoring in Information Design & Corporate Communications, with minors in Marketing and Gender Studies. Kathryn is so excited to be a part of the Her Campus team and be the founder of Her Campus Bentley! Kathryn loves going to school near Boston, but she also loves her hometown of Dalton, MA, where she grew up in the Berkshires on a turkey farm. Kathryn loves singing, acting, dancing ballet, baking, & playing volleyball, and is interested in gender issues, fashion, and health & fitness. She is a founding member of the Masters of Bentley Acappella (MBAs) and enjoys being involved with the Women's Center at Bentley, Alpha Psi Omega Honorary Theatre Society, and Resident Assistance at Bentley. Kathryn aspires to work as an editor, social media professional, or marketing design professional in Boston, MA after her experiences at Bentley! Kathryn would like to thank her family and friends for their love and support towards all of her experiences and dreams.