Dear Aphrodite
Issue date: 2/22/07 Section: Entertainment
Since the beginning of the semester, sexual assault has been on everyone's mind. As students try to move on, despite their unanswered questions and unsettled fears, it is important to remember that when the hysteria settles down, we should not grow complacent. We should always protect ourselves to ensure that something like this does not happen again.
We need to lock our doors and windows at all times. I know that, at a campus like NDNU, trust is very important among friends and fellow dorm dwellers. Leaving doors unlocked for friends creates entrances for strangers, and it gives them an opening into your room. Friends will knock if they really want to stop by.
This brings me to the next point. We should never prop open the doors leading to the residence halls. Yes, I know it's a pain to have to walk all the way downstairs to let friends and boy/girlfriends in but those doors are there for a reason. We also need to remember that we are not the only ones living in that residence hall and our careless actions may have serious repercussions for others.
Careless actions can lead to dangerous consequences and, being college students, we tend to act without thinking. We often use drugs and alcohol as tools to help us unwind and socialize. We don't realize that we may be putting ourselves in danger simply because we are surrounded by friends and familiar faces. This comfort, however, is nothing more than a security blanket. Drunk or high, we can't accurately judge our surroundings nor can we protect ourselves if we need to. With our judgment impaired, we are sitting ducks waiting to be picked off.
We need to learn to trust our instincts. If our inner voice is telling us that something doesn't feel right, we must listen to it. We can't just brush it off as paranoia because our gut may be trying to tell us something important. We can call for a police escort or at least a friend to walk us to our cars or rooms. It's better to take precautions than to risk putting ourselves in harm's way.
Sexual assault is defined as any sexual activity or physical contact that does not have your consent. If you have been assaulted, it is important that we try to get to a safe place as quickly as we can to call the police or 911. We should not wash, comb or clean anything, and we need to avoid changing our clothes so that evidence may be collected.
As discussions on sexual assault slowly fade away from campus, we need to make sure that we never stop protecting ourselves. By doing so, we are making a stand against becoming victims ourselves.
We need to lock our doors and windows at all times. I know that, at a campus like NDNU, trust is very important among friends and fellow dorm dwellers. Leaving doors unlocked for friends creates entrances for strangers, and it gives them an opening into your room. Friends will knock if they really want to stop by.
This brings me to the next point. We should never prop open the doors leading to the residence halls. Yes, I know it's a pain to have to walk all the way downstairs to let friends and boy/girlfriends in but those doors are there for a reason. We also need to remember that we are not the only ones living in that residence hall and our careless actions may have serious repercussions for others.
Careless actions can lead to dangerous consequences and, being college students, we tend to act without thinking. We often use drugs and alcohol as tools to help us unwind and socialize. We don't realize that we may be putting ourselves in danger simply because we are surrounded by friends and familiar faces. This comfort, however, is nothing more than a security blanket. Drunk or high, we can't accurately judge our surroundings nor can we protect ourselves if we need to. With our judgment impaired, we are sitting ducks waiting to be picked off.
We need to learn to trust our instincts. If our inner voice is telling us that something doesn't feel right, we must listen to it. We can't just brush it off as paranoia because our gut may be trying to tell us something important. We can call for a police escort or at least a friend to walk us to our cars or rooms. It's better to take precautions than to risk putting ourselves in harm's way.
Sexual assault is defined as any sexual activity or physical contact that does not have your consent. If you have been assaulted, it is important that we try to get to a safe place as quickly as we can to call the police or 911. We should not wash, comb or clean anything, and we need to avoid changing our clothes so that evidence may be collected.
As discussions on sexual assault slowly fade away from campus, we need to make sure that we never stop protecting ourselves. By doing so, we are making a stand against becoming victims ourselves.
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