Between 20 percent and 25 percent of university women nationwide will experience a sexual attack.
This is especially true during the first three months of their freshman year, according to a 2007 report from the National Criminal Justice Service of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Mix people of both genders in their early-adult years, away from home for the first time, with a normal supply of testosterone and estrogen, stir in the presence of drugs or alcohol, blend with a sexually permissive society and the results can be catastrophic.
There are solutions aplenty, but some border on the ridiculous. The State of California legislature has passed a law requiring any college or university receiving state funds to insure that students engaging in sexual activity obtain “affirmative consent,” also known as “yes means yes.”
Not to trivialize a serious national problem, but it’s unclear whether this agreement must be written or notarized.
The Chronicle of Higher Education’s Sept. 4 edition suggested that warnings about Title IX violations be inserted in syllabi. But as any college professor can testify, syllabi are seldom either read or retained.
A new nail polish has been developed to detect the presence of date rape drugs in drinks.
These examples are merely cosmetic remedies. They don’t go to the heart of the problem.
They don’t work for the same reason that reading about losing weight fails to shed pounds. The cause of obesity or sexual aggression is not lack of knowledge or information. It is primarily a lack of self-control.
Since the majority of sexual predators are male, these words are addressed to men.
Gentlemen, we need to remind ourselves of some ever-old but ever-true principles.
We must be conscious of our own dignity and the duty to respect others. No self-respecting man would ever take advantage of a woman, or anyone for that matter.
Sexual assault is not about sex; it’s about power.
Voluntary loss of self-control due to excessive use of alcohol or drugs by a male or female is never an excuse for sexual aggression or bad behavior. Genuine men, those who value their own dignity and the dignity of others, know their limits.
Counter-charges by males that women were complicit due to their dress or actions may be valid but can never excuse loutish or brutal behavior.
Males have the last clear chance to avoid sexual aggression.
These ideas run counter to the “boys will be boys” meme present in today’s sexual circus. But, gentlemen, it’s past time to step up and take responsibility for our actions.
Although we can’t control the conduct of others, we can and must control our own. We are more than the product of our hormones.
In the last analysis, it’s all about respect.
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