STAFF EDITORIAL Breaking Through the Impasse

Author: [no author name found]


In the past few weeks, the Middlebury College community has witnessed a swell of activism and awareness surrounding rape on campus. This has come from a wide range of anonymous sources in the form of numerous posters addressing the issue as well as gender inequalities at Middlebury. While it is important that a dialogue begin on the nature of rape and gender issues within the community, it is equally crucial that this information is factual and be addressed in a public setting to allow for open, honest discussion. The way that reported rapes are treated by the College must also be analyzed as the process must not deter rape victims from seeking help.

Under the College's current system, a rape victim has many options to seek both physical and psychological aid. The incident can be reported to the Department of Public Safety, and while the victim is encouraged to give the full details of the attack to allow for an investigation, this is not required to receive help. The Parton Health Center is available for medical care, and the Counseling and Human Relations Center, the Chaplain's Office, the Dean of Student Affairs Office and individual commons deans open their doors to assist victims in dealing with the all aspects surrounding the rape, whether it be reassessing courseloads, offering counseling or simply providing a person to listen to the victim. None of these outlets are required to give Public Safety any information about the rape unless the victim agrees to provide it. The fact that there are so many support resources for rape victims is admirable, but for consistency and statistical purposes, Public Safety must be alerted that a rape has occurred, even if in a purely anonymous fashion.

Rape victims at the College also have the choice of seeking help outside of the College at WomenSafe or a variety of private counseling practices. While these services help victims overcome their fears and give them a place to feel secure, it is important that the College ultimately know at least the number of Middlebury students that go outside campus for rape crisis support. The College must maintain accurate statistics about the prevalence of rape on campus, even if students choose to go elsewhere for aid. To achieve this we suggest the College pursue establishing a collaborative relationship with local support or counseling groups whereby such statistics can be attained accurately and confidentially.

Beyond the posting of this information, a more open forum must be scheduled to discuss how rape is handled on campus and what steps the College can take to make our community a more receptive and comforting environment for rape victims. To bring clarity to this issue, such a forum would be beneficial for all who are concerned about of rape at Middlebury. Anonymous posters can start people talking about the issue, but for any headway to occur, those who feel strongly about raising awareness and gaining support for their cause must join together with other students and members of the faculty, staff and administration.

Unfortunately, rape does occur at Middlebury. It is made even worse if incidences of sexual assault are silenced by victims who are afraid of the repercussions of seeking aid within the framework provided by the College. The recent posters are just the beginning of a wider discussion about the crime that must be formalized in a campus-wide forum to gain a complete understanding about this problem.