Stall Readings
When nature calls, I enjoy having some reading material by my side.
However, in the men’s bathrooms of many residence halls around Case’s campus, posters are provided to educate me on sexual harassment and rape prevention. Yes, it’s obvious that I shouldn’t rape or sexually harass someone, but why is this bathroom poster entitled, “You Might Be Tested on This Tonight…What Do You Know?" I mean, it’s not like when I go out to have fun at night that I’ll be quizzed on this stuff, right? Okay, it’s time to get serious. I can’t satirize the fact that, according to the poster, the National Institute of Justice reported that “one in six men will experience a sexual assault in their lifetime.” Yes, statistics like these are shocking to me, but does this writing on the bathroom wall truly portray aspects of life at Case?
Since I have only been on campus for almost four weeks, I cannot give a fair statement based on my experiences. However, I will admit that I have not witnessed any sexual harassment on campus yet. Therefore, I’ll use Protective Services for more information. According to an annual security report from 2006, there were only 5 reports of forcible sex offenses from 2003-2005. Interestingly enough, the most recent sex offense reported was back in February 2007, which was provoked by a staff member. Taking that case aside, I can conclude that roughly 0.1% of the student body at Case Western Reserve University has been involved in a reported sex offense. So does that mean that the students at Case have no problems with sexual harassment?
I have learned that the statistics Protective Services reported can be misleading. It is true that very few sexual offenses are reported; however, many more offenses go unreported. According to the National Institute for Justice (NIJ), “65% of attacks are unreported, making sexual assault the ‘silent epidemic.’ Sexual assault remains the most drastically underreported crime.” More specifically, NIJ reported that “42% of college women who are raped tell no one about the assault." Looking at these statistics lead me to believe that sexual assaults unfortunately occur more often on campus.
Last week, my floor created a small Bathroom Decoration Committee. After placing “Where’s Waldo?” pictures by the urinals, the committee wanted to do something about the rape prevention posters. A committee member came up with the idea of posting a chapter of a novel each week over the posters so that there is something more interesting to read. I guess that would make us avid readers, but as mundane as the posters may seem, they help educate us on the problems of rape and sexual harassment as well as ways to prevent such occurrences. So rape and sexual harassment may or may not be a part of campus life at Case, but it sure helps to understand how to prevent an encounter in case I was ever really tested.
Comments
Posted by: franco
Posted on: September 11, 2007 03:47 PM
if you put some other reading material in each stall, the posters will basically serve no function other than as stall decoration. I think they're there just to drive the point home and serve as a constant reminder that there is a problem, though it may not be a problem at case.
Posted by: Zach Rubin
Posted on: September 14, 2007 02:39 PM
In case anyone doesn't believe me, http://blog.case.edu/jxi24/
The bathroom decoration committee exists :-D