Change is Coming- Sexual assault at UIUC

According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC), between 20 and 25 percent of women on college campuses will experience sexual assault.

This is a chilling statistic that hits close to home with the University of Illinois being right in town.

In 2014, there were nine campus rapes reported at the University of Illinois. Over this summer, two sexual assaults were reported. During the first two weeks of the fall semester, three sexual assaults were reported. These numbers may not seem striking, but they are. According to the NSVRC, less than 5 percent of sexual assaults are reported.

To combat these statistics, change has been a priority at the university. Administration promises to provide better training to campus police on how to support victims of sexual assault.

There have also been changes to the discipline code on campus. The new changes allow punishment for voyeurism, as well as the recording and dissemination of sexual activity without participant consent.

“We took a (discipline) code and administrative policy that was from the 1950s and made it current and relevant in today’s social media world where lives and reputations can be ruined with the touch of the ‘send button’,” says Jim Navarre, attorney.

Sexual assault is prevalent at the University of Illinois and many colleges and universities across America. Changes have been made to reduce it, and hopefully in the future sexual assault on campus will no longer be a norm.

In 2015, Joe Biden came to campus to give a speech on behalf of the It’s On Us Campaign. This campaign is hoping to lower sexual assault on college campuses nationwide by having people take a pledge. As a community, we must all work together to keep this pledge alive.