Michael Colton

Sexual assault is something that must be tackled as an entire community. There is no one solution to the issue, other than altering the ways in which men (the most common perpetrator's of sexual assault) are taught about respect and consent. In order for such attacks to become less commonplace, we must begin to teach from a young age these values of consent and respect. Sex cannot be treated, as it currently is, as a taboo or irresponsible activity in schools; open and honest discussion must be had in order to ensure that people are emotionally ready to engage in intercourse. More specifically, men must be taught that sex is not something they hold a right to, nor something they control. These sentiments are currently communicated when we refuse to talk about sex in school or in the media; young men being told to be secretive about sex are likely to remain ignorant towards the basic facts of sex and consent.

From a criminal justice standpoint, sexual assault must be treated in a completely different way. The aforementioned ideas of sex as taboo or shameful have created an environment in which prosecutors or officers are likely to blame the victim in an instance of assault. With improved education must come thorough training for police departments on dealing with and investigating assault -- officers must be expected to not investigate the circumstances of the assault (i.e 'were you drunk?' 'what were you wearing?' etc.) but to move forward with charges or questioning towards the suspected perpetrator at even the slightest indication of fault. Refusing trial in a case with proven DNA evidence is absurd; sexual assault is a crime regardless of the suspect's profile -- police officers must be especially observant on college campuses for instances of athlete-shielding or fraternity-blame shifting. The accused should not have any sort of say in this investigative process, at least not until they are questioned by police or put on trial in front of their peers.

At the same time, we musn't expect victims to always come forward to tell their story -- this is an unnecessary emotional burden that many are likely unable to bear. Instead, the issue as a whole must be tackled through discussion in school, through honest reporting in the media (avoiding stories that implicitly shift the blame on a girl's drunkenness, for example), and through proper police training. These three facets can be synthesized (and should be) into consent and respect workshops on college campuses and in communities across the country.












Know Your IX is an organization founded in 2013 by various student activists that seeks to increase the ability for women, transgender, and gender non-conforming students to access a complete education -- free from harassment and violence. The organization is mainly founded on using Title IX as an alternative to the justice system, one that specifically accounts for the oppression faced by the above groups and the damage done by violence and discrimination. Much of the group's work is done through educating youth on their rights and training activist groups for action. Further, the group goes around to Universities and Colleges to advocate for policy change. Most of the group's funding comes from individual donors, however it has made its place clear as a student movement of public interest. In the media, most instances of coverage have been on the side of the organization, specifically opposing the government (Betsy Devos) attempts to discredit Title IX and block the work of the group. The organization as a whole embodies the values of education and information for the public, as well as the importance of advocacy and action in the fight against sexual assault and misconduct.