There is no comfortable way to talk about rape culture. But the problem is that it has to happen.
Over the past three years, allegations of sexual assault at a local school have forced many to take a long-awaited reckoning. Students, who often have the painful task of facilitating social change, have once again shown courage and come forward to report assaults and misconduct. They spoke up, they left, they demonstrated, and forced us, who were meant to be adults, leaders, and role models to the larger Boulder community, to face the ugly reality that our culture perpetuates sexual assault. did.
In 2019, Fairview High School’s star quarterback Aidan Atkinson, whose name has gone public since being charged as an adult, was arrested and charged with assault on a party bus the previous year. Atkinson was acquitted of the sexual assault trial, but he pleaded guilty to two counts of misdemeanor harassment.
In February, a former high school lacrosse player, who has not been named since being indicted in a juvenile court, was sentenced to 90 days in prison after being convicted of raping three students. was subsequently sentenced to two years of probation.
And most recently, a former Fairview footballer, also unnamed, convicted last month misdemeanor in a sexual assault case. A former student was accused of pinning a female student to a locker and placing his hand on her shorts during her freshman year at Fairview. has been indicted as Those charges are still pending and the former student is set to face trial again this month.
some students Campus culture tolerant of sexual violenceFairview isn’t the only school struggling with sexual misconduct.
according to CU Sexual Misconduct Investigation It was announced last week that about 15% of female undergraduate students report being sexually assaulted and about 19% of female undergraduate students report experiencing sexual harassment since coming to CU Boulder in 2021. did. These figures are a marked improvement from her previous survey in 2015, when 28% of undergraduate women reported being sexually assaulted and 28% of undergraduate women reported experiencing sexual harassment. indicates that But even the latest numbers highlight a pervasive culture.
In Boulder, calls to the nonprofit Moving to End Sexual Assault have increased 80% since this time last year, said Janine D’Anniballe, the organization’s director.
These figures show that the problem is not confined to one school. This is not to say that Fairview did not have a culture that tolerates cheating, but rather that it must recognize that this is a social problem that can only be curbed through cultural change.
This effort to drive cultural change has been needed for a long time, and we are well placed to make it happen. Systems to report sexual assault and the services needed to assist victims are, in most cases, readily available in our community.
“A lot of good things are in place in Boulder County. The parts of the system are in place.What we need is a concerted effort towards prevention, she said.
Boulder Valley School District has also worked to ensure that resources are readily available to students who may need them. The district hired a Title IX coordinator and established a student-led Title IX Advisory Board. BVSD is working to provide appropriate measures for all students seeking additional support, according to Health and Wellness Coordinator Jordan Goto.
Thus, a foundation was laid for our schools and communities to focus on prevention. And prevention begins with education for students, staff, faculty, parents, and the community at large.
“For years, we’ve been asking the wrong question: ‘What can women do to keep themselves safe?’ That’s the wrong question,” D’Anniballe said. “The right question is, ‘How do we change our culture?'”
For D’Anniballe, the answer is to denounce conversations about sex and sexuality. “Sexual violence lives in this culture of silence and misinformation, so the more we can talk about healthy sexuality, healthy relationships and consent, the better,” she said. .
Education is closely related to this. Sex education has long been part of the BVSD curriculum, but the district has worked to update it.
“From the moment students walk through our door, they are receiving developmentally appropriate consent education,” said Goto of BVSD. Fundamentally, the district works to help students develop the skills necessary to form and recognize healthy relationships at the youngest age.
But school is only part of a young person’s life. Entire communities must work to instigate the cultural overhaul needed to end rape culture. We need comprehensive sex education. Consent training required. We need to stop blaming the victim and start rethinking, and possibly rethinking, masculinity. And we must create a culture that values women, girls, boys and men as equals and worthy of equal respect.
These are not things a student can do alone.
It’s easy to ignore a school or institution and say that it’s rotten and that the hurt it caused only happened there. But this truth does not excuse perpetrators, abusers, or those who engage in sexual violence. It does not exempt Fairview High School, the University of Colorado, or any institution where sexual violence may occur. Rather, it should ask us to recognize that the work we have to do is cultural.
This is time consuming, labor intensive, and involves conversations that many find uncomfortable. But thanks to the students who bravely pushed forward.
For Elizabeth Francis, BVSD Title IX coordinator, this calculation would not have been possible without their bravery. “It’s monumental that our students have brought these issues to the attention of the community and raised their voices,” said Francis.
Let’s not let their courage go to waste.
Resources for Sexual Assault Victims
To contact the Sexual Assault Campaign (MESA) 24-hour hotline, call 303-443-7300 or text BRAVE to 20121.
To make a police report, contact the CU Police Department at 303-492-6666 for on-campus incidents and the Boulder Police Department at 303-441-3333 for off-campus incidents.
Additional student resources are available at colorado.edu/dontignoreit.
—Gary Garrison, Editorial Board
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