Acknowledgments: I would have never been able to complete this project without the help and support of my friends, family and professors. I want to thank Lisa Arellano, Hollis Griffin, and Elizabeth Leonard for guiding me through this process and editing countless pages of material. They pushed me in ways that have not only made me a better thinker and writer, but also a better person. I am very grateful for their hard work and encouragement throughout this past year. I also want to thank the Colby Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Department and the Colby English Department for giving me the tools to take on a project of this scope. Furthermore, I want to my mom for encouraging me to be a feminist since day one, my dad for teaching me the importance of helping others, and my triplet brother and sister for being my biggest cheerleaders these past 23 years. Whether my mom was listening to me cry on the phone after a tough interview with a sexual assault survivor, or my Dad was making me tea so I could stay up late to meet a deadline, my family was as much a part of this project as I was and I am eternally grateful for their love and support. As for my friends, I must thank all of my girlfriends for giving me much needed writing breaks, listening to my rants about structural sexism, and keeping me sane. Toni Morrison said that “It is sheer good fortune to miss somebody long before they leave you.” If what she says is true, I am very fortunate because I miss all of you already. Finally, I want to thank all of the sexual assault survivors I interviewed for this project. Your bravery and resiliency inspires me.
the Colby community because having multiple sexual partners, even if those partners did not consent to sex, is seen as “studly.” While many people will claim that they do not believe these myths, I believe that many of us subconsciously adhere to this thinking without even knowing it, which is why prejudices like sexism are so pervasive in the world and at Colby. Moreover, a male dominated sex culture is dangerous because it disempowers women. When (heterosexual) women are forced to choose between forgoing all heterosexual relationships with men or settling for what, according to my research, is most often a demeaning hookup, they always lose. In the end, there is very little room for heterosexual women to feel sexually satisfied and respected in their relationships with men within the hookup culture because the system makes it very hard for such an option to exist. For me and for many other women, this is incredibly disempowering. One woman I talked to expressed this disempowerment very eloquently, saying, “I feel like I have had a lot of identity crisis issues at Colby…I have been having so much anxiety about my gender. I was so involved in the hookup culture all of sophomore year. I kind of thought it was fun and it had the potential to be fun, so I was really into it and I liked being able to tell the story the next day, but it is weird and awkward. I felt gross after…then I went abroad and had a boyfriend there and sex with him was so bad. I felt undervalued because it was all about him. I removed myself from the hookup culture because it made me feel bad about myself but now I feel bad about myself for not partaking in hook up culture (sigh). I think hookup culture is entirely unfulfilling and very drunken…it’s a bunch of people trying to find intimacy the wrong way, trying to find validation.”
perpetrators. Moreover, her quote suggests that she believes her assault could have been prevented had the college made more efforts to educate students on the issue. Additionally, reflected on the lack of safety she feels on campus, saying, “Colby is not a safe place for me anymore—I do not feel safe. “ She does not attend school dances because “they scare and frustrate her.” Penny* also mentioned how the assault has affected her relationships, admitting that that it is hard for her to trust men, and that “it will be a long time before she is able to be intimate with someone again.” Mary*, who had a friend who transferred her freshman year after she was sexually assaulted by a football player. He forced her to perform oral sex on him. When the survivor reported the assault to her Community Advisor, her Community Advisor notified Campus Life, who dismissed the case and told the CA to inform the survivor that “pursuing the case would not be worth it.” The survivor, frustrated at the lack of disciplinary action, angry that college officials did not seem to believe her, and concerned for her own safety, decided to leave and transferred to another institution. Mary* also described an instance where she was at a party and a football player lifted her dress up, humiliating and objectifying her in front of a large group of men. While this instance seems to be more an instance of sexual harassment than sexual assault, it is important to look both at the difference and the at the similarities between the two, particularly in how sexual harassment and sexual assault are both bound up in issues of power inequalities that are rooted in structural sexism and misogyny. Moreover, while one must recognize the important difference between sexual harassment and sexual assault, one cannot examine sexual harassment without looking at how sexual harassment oftentimes precedes and leads to sexual assault, since; again, both sexual harassment and sexual assault
4) Ensure that all students and staff receive a report at the beginning of each school year that lists the number of sexual assaults that have occurred on campus (necessary for compliance with Clery Act). According to my research, these statistics are made available to students and staff on the campus website, however, the site is not easy to access (it took me a while to find it) and students are staff do not seem to be aware that these statistics by law, are made available to them. I think Colby needs to do a better job publishing these statistics to ensure that the community is well-informed on the issue of sexual assault on our campus. 5) Revise the “Important Information for the Colby College Community About Sexual Assault” brochure so students can easily understand exactly what will occur during disciplinary proceedings by reading the brochure once: As it exists, the brochure only seems to give a rough overview of what will happen in the reporting and disciplinary process, which is found in the section “What are you options for resolution inside the college?” While its facts are accurate and informative, it is not substantial enough to give students a thorough idea of what will occur in the disciplinary proceedings. Therefore, I propose that the college establish a committee to both establish and rewrite the disciplinary proceedings in plain language that is accessible to all students. Moreover, I propose that this same committee work to adequately publicize the disciplinary procedures so that all students are aware of them. 6) Provide complainants with immunity from disciplinary action for offenses such as underage drinking or recreational drug use at the time of the assault: Currently, Colby does provide students with immunity from disciplinary sanctions for minor offenses such as drinking underage or using drugs at the time of the assault. This is extremely important because some
survivors has not been able to form. Therefore, I suggest that the college make more efforts to publicize that this option exists for students in order to gather more membership and interest so a group can exist. 26) There needs to exist a visible and apparent protocol outlining what the disciplinary process looks in the case of a non-Colby student sexually assaulting a Colby student on campus: As I discussed in my previous chapter, this became an issue for one of the survivors I interviewed who indicated to me that she thought the college did not know what to do in her situation. To avoid instances like her’s and to ensure that all Colby students are protected and treated fairly, the college needs to develop a plan for dealing with perpetrators who do no go to Colby but who assault a Colby student. 27) needs to exist a visible and apparent protocol outlining survivor’s options to change rooms or dorm residences if they choose to: As I discussed in my previous chapter, this also became an issue for several of the survivors I interviewed, who told me that it was very traumatic for them to have to sleep alone in what for many of them was the same room they had been assaulted in. To avoid situations like theirs and to ensure that sexual assault survivors are safe and comfortable in their living spaces, it is essential that Colby adopt and policy that allows students to change rooms or residence halls and publicize this policy so that students are aware of it. Suggestions for Revisions to Informal Structures and Policies: 1) What the Administration Can Do: