Reana Horovitz
ENG 102 1:30-2:45
Dr. Bruce Glenn
13 April 2016
No Place to Call Home
Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 in D major, also known as the popular song played
at graduation ceremonies, plays loud and clear as high school graduates walk down the aisle to
receive their diploma for four years of excellence in academics, sports, or any other thing they
may have accomplished. For many, college is the next huge step in life towards becoming an
adult. After months of writing essays, taking standardized tests, and paying hundreds of dollars
towards college applications, a university is wisely chosen. Every young adult in this situation
looks forward to the next four years to begin. The incoming college freshman and their family
expect it to be a safe place filled with fun and great memories; a place to be kept in good hands
for the following years away from home. But, what if I told you this expectation was not the
reality. Sexual abuse on our nation’s college campuses are becoming a more frequent occurrence,
and little to nothing is being done to create a greater awareness for the issue and the reasons as to
why it is not being fixed.
College is a time for new beginnings. A chance to spread your wings in a safe
environment and become who you are really meant to be. But how can such an important
transformation like this occur when horrific incidents such as sexual abuse are becoming a
rapidly growing epidemic on college campuses? In order to shed light on a sensitive topic like
this, one that many people avoid talking about, I will first start at the most basic level of
explanation as to why this epidemic has continued to fester, and not be prevented.
According to the Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation Poll, one of the most
comprehensive surveys to date on sexual assault, “twenty percent of women and five percent of
men say they have been sexually assaulted in college” (“Poll: One in 5 Women Say They Have
Been Sexually Assaulted in College”). With this being said, many people have different takes on
the meaning of “sexual assault”. What is it actually defined as? The United States Department of
Justice defines sexual assault as “any type of sexual contact or behavior that occurs without the
explicit consent of the recipient. Falling under the definition of sexual assault are sexual
activities as forced sexual intercourse, forcible sodomy, child molestation, incest, fondling, and
attempted rape” (“Sexual Assault”). According to this definition, rape falls under the category of
sexual assault, the type of assault that is found most common. Rape is defined by the Federal
Bureau of Investigation as “penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any
