The recent sexual assaults and rapes near campus have sparked discussion and awareness regarding safety and prevention. Though these ""stranger rapes"" are frightening and horrible, it is also crucial to remember that these sexual assaults make up only a minority of the total sexual assaults that occur on campus.
The majority of sexual assaults are committed by people known to the victim, behind closed doors, and go unreported. However, these recent high-profile assaults offer the opportunity to discuss not only stranger assaults, but all sexual assault that affects not merely the campus women and environment, but also the men on campus.
It is time for the men on campus to realize exactly how sexual assault concerns them and that they have the power to combat it. Sexual assault is often labeled as a women's issue; however, it is men who can make the biggest change. It is time for the men to step up and make this a safer campus for women.
It is not enough for men to just abstain from rape or assault of women, they must also be an active force in preventing rape. Men must understand that rape affects them as well.
Rape is not just an insult to all women, but also an insult to all men. Sexual assault is an abuse of the innate physical power men are born with, and it unfairly portrays all men as brutes who prey on the vulnerable.
However, men can change this image and create a safer environment for the women on campus. Carmen Hotvedt, the staff advisor to PAVE—Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment—says she ""believes in the power of men to end violence against women,"" and outlines steps men can take to fight sexual assault.
However, Hotvedt says that instead of taking the role of protectors of women, men should take the role of allies. Instead of taking a macho, aggressive approach to protecting the women on campus, they can do things to subtly, yet dramatically, improve women's safety.
Men must primarily make a concerted effort to let other men know that sexual assault is unacceptable and that they will not stand for rape on their campus. It should not be socially acceptable or in any way approved.
Men should talk about assault with other men. They need to be vocal about their objections to assault, instead of silently condoning it.
Hotvedt also notes that men must learn to notice potentially dangerous situations and then intervene, or take some action to stop the situation. They must notice at parties when a woman is being taken advantage of, for example, and step in, or offer to walk a woman home on a dark night.
Some men on campus are already taking a stand against rape and sexual assault. They understand the responsibility they bear in making this campus a safer place for women. These groups include Men Can Stop Rape (mencanstoprape.org) and The Fraternity Action Coalition, which sponsors a class in which students discuss masculinity and violence against women in the Greek system.
Now, men, it is your turn to join them. This is your campus, and it is a direct insult to you if women are not safe. Start taking a stand. Let other men know that sexual assault or violence towards women is not acceptable and take steps to start ensuring its demise.
Being silent not only further promotes the image of men as sexually charged egomaniacs, but it essentially approves violent behavior. UW-Madison is a great school with great guys, and it is time they prove just how great they can be.
