Sexual Assault: It’s as bad as it sounds

Beginning December 2012, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill went under media fire for mishandling cases of sexual assault. Five cases sparked three federal investigations, a new sexual assault policy and national media coverage—like a New York Times spread in March 2013.

Constant media coverage of the sexual assault on college campuses has confused more than clarified. The words “sexual” and “assault” appear in headlines again and again. In this column’s first two paragraphs, “sexual assault” has appeared five times. You’re probably tired of hearing it. And you’re probably losing focus on its gravity.

There’s a word for this phenomenon called “Semantic Satiation.” When someone hears a word or phrase repeated many times, the phrase starts losing meaning. Repetition has powerful effects: It can emphasize and desensitize. In the UNC-CH sexual assault investigation, many people have become desensitized—after two years, the words may still hold unpleasant connotations, but they’re losing weight.

To fight the dissociation between a word and its meaning, words can be contextualized. They can be formally defined or related to examples or synonymous events.

This must happen with “sexual assault.”

The new 20-page UNC-CH policy on “Prohibited Discrimination, Harassment and Related Misconduct” defines sexual assault as “a form of gender-based discrimination that involves having or attempting to have sexual contact with an individual without consent.”

This definition is vital to understanding university policies surrounding this crime. Foremost, it’s the reason universities adjudicate sexual assault cases.  

Title IX, a federal law enacted in 1972, says that federally funded institutions, including universities, cannot discriminate based on gender. The law considers cases of sexual assault—rape, harassment and violence—as a matter of discrimination, making the university responsible for resolving these conflicts. 

The nature of the crime, one of discrimination, means survivors, not law enforcement, must begin the prosecution process. This is why sexual assault is among the most underreported crimes. But when cases are reported, it’s easier, perhaps, for media to gloss over the heinous, horrific and violent nature of the crime.

For example, the 2013 New York Times article discusses sexual assault without actually mentioning the issue. It focuses on administrative failures without analyzing the unpleasant realities. It takes “sexual assault” out of the sexual assault conversation.   

The new UNC-CH policy released in August clarifies and expands the definition of sexual assault. The policy breaks apart the definition of “sexual assault” to identify the problem and suggest solutions, like expanding the definition of “consent” from one to six paragraphs.

Moving forward, universities will continue investigating mishandled cases. In doing so, the media will report. But it’s important to not be desensitized by its prevalence.