From Prison to College

I watched The Shawshank Redemption for the first time today. It is a wonderful, heartbreaking, and ultimately inspiring movie. But I'm not going to write a film review.
One of the most disturbing aspects of the movie was a gang of rapists who initially terrorized the protagonist. I consider all acts of sexual assault absolutely repugnant and inexcusable, regardless of whether the victim is male or female. Even after the character found a way to protect himself from these scumbags and the plot moved on, I felt absolutely sick to my stomach. Jail-related jokes I've heard about dropping soap and becoming someone's b**** crashed around my head. My anger about comedy born from atrocities grew until I wasn't just thinking about abuse from within a prison; a meme saying, "No means yes and yes means anal" wouldn't leave my thoughts. Another realization wouldn't leave me alone:
What men fear most about having insufficient protection in a prison, girls fear most about not having sufficient protection on college campuses.
I'm starting college this fall, and I will be living on campus. Thoughts of protecting myself in potentially dangerous situations competes for brain space against searching for scholarships and maintaining my GPA on a daily basis. I was recently invited to a Damsels in Defense party, where I will have the opportunity to by pepper spray, pocket knives, and mini tasers. My first thought when I heard of this? "Wow, that's such a good idea!" I felt a surge of relief to discover that I had options, that I didn't have to go through this next step of my life as a sitting duck. I could feel some degree of control.
This should not be a top priority for me. I should be more concerned about whether I'll get along with my roommate, or how to work studying abroad into a four-year graduation plan. I'm angry that I don't live in a world where this can be my college experience.
The National Sexual Violence Research Center has found that one in five women and one in sixteen men are sexually assaulted while in college. About 90% of campus victims do not report the crime, which may partially be due to the lack of  help given to those who do report. According to the Center for Public Integrity, winner of the 2014 Pulitzer Prize, many schools do not file official crime reports for all reported cases. One article states the following:

"Nearly half of the 25 Clery complaint investigations conducted by the Education Department over the past decade determined that schools were omitting sexual offenses collected by some sources or failing to report them at all."

This is absolutely inexcusable. What's worse is that many schools do not follow through on consequences. In 2006, Indiana University suspended a rapist from school during the summer semester, during which he was unlikely to attend classes anyway. He was allowed to return to school in the fall. A yearlong investigation by the Center for Public Integrity interviewed 33 women who had reported sexual assault, as well as 50 experts on campus discipline. Examined were ten years worth of complaints filed against schools under Title IX and/or the Clery Act, a review of records from specific cases, and research into 152 clinics and crisis service programs which cater to college or university students.

"The probe reveals that students deemed “responsible” for alleged sexual assaults on college campuses can face little or no consequence for their acts.... For them, the trauma of assault can be compounded by a lack of institutional support, and even disciplinary action."

Often victims can't cope with everything that's happened, as well as being forced to interact with their attackers in what should be a safe environment. Many of those affected by the trauma drop out of school, and the perpetrators complete their educations.
Further research by the Center found that only 10--25% of alleged attackers face permanent expulsion when trialed by the schools. Just over half of the 33 interviewed students said that their assaulters were so much as found guilty; all but four of these cases led to minor suspensions and temporary probations.
So I spend money I'd like to save for textbooks on rape whistles and pepper spray. Because I know that if I don't protect myself, no one else will.

https://www.publicintegrity.org/2010/02/24/4360/lack-consequences-sexual-assault
http://www.nsvrc.org/sites/default/files/publications_nsvrc_factsheet_media-packet_statistics-about-sexual-violence_0.pdf
https://www.publicintegrity.org/2009/12/02/9045/campus-sexual-assault-statistics-don-t-add