Rape is the most common violent crime on American college campuses today.1 This guide describes the problem of acquaintance rape of college students, addressing
its scope, causes and contributing factors; methods for analyzing it on a particular campus; tested responses; and measures for assessing response effectiveness. With this
information, police and public safety officers can more effectively prevent the problem.
Researchers believe that college rape prevention programs, including the most widely used ones, are insufficient.
Most rapes are unreported, perhaps giving campus administrators and police the false impression that current efforts are adequate. In addition, campus police may be
influenced by college administrators who fear that too strong an emphasis on the problem may lead potential students and their parents to believe that rape occurs more often at their college than at others.
Related Problems Acquaintance rape is but one aspect of the larger set of problems related to sexual assault of college students, and a coherent college strategy should address all aspects of these problems.
Scope of the Problem
"Women ages 16 to 24 experience rape at rates four times
higher than the assault rate of all women,"2 making the
college (and high school) years the most vulnerable for
women. College women are more at risk for rape and
other forms of sexual assault than women the same age
but not in college.3 It is estimated that almost 25 percent
of college women have been victims of rape or attempted
rape since the age of 14.4
Rape rates vary to some extent by school, type of school
and region, suggesting that certain schools and certain
places within schools are more rape-prone than others.
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Some features of the college environment–frequent
unsupervised parties, easy access to alcohol, single students
living on their own, and the availability of private rooms–
may contribute to high rape rates of women college
students.