It took me 10 years to use the word “rape” to describe what had happened to me, but as more women entered the profession—some of whom had also had encounters with male academics who felt entitled to exploit their students—I gradually found the courage to go public. And I felt more comfortable addressing the issue of rape in academe.
from Donna L. Potts’ Chronicle of Higher Ed article, For a Victim of Rape, Silence is No Benefit.
Because universities have a vested interest in protecting their reputations, victims of sexual assault are all too often silenced. Although there are now rape-awareness posters on most campuses, they’re more likely to emphasize the responsibility of the victim to prevent rape rather than the roles of bystanders, roommates, friends, faculty, and staff in responding to rape. Even when victims report rape to campus police or university authorities, criminal charges, or even internal sanctions, are seldom forthcoming.
There is an issue and it needs to be spoken and written about.
My article How Sexual Assault Trauma Impacts Classrooms is on p. 43 of the pdf.