TUCSON, Ariz. – A recent opinion column in the University of Arizona student newspaper titled “Only Responsibility Can Prevent Rape” prompted a two-hour campus protest Thursday, with students chanting “yes means yes” and vilifying the notion put forth by the male columnist that women can use “common-sense” tactics to avoid getting raped.
That the protest took place on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks – a poignant and somber day for many Americans – meant apparently little to the dozens of students who took to the stage for their turn at the microphone to say things such as “stop rape culture” or “men need to take responsibility.”
Hundreds of students came by to observe the demonstration, which ran from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the center of campus and was organized through social media Tuesday night. It was put together via the campus Oasis Program Against Sexual Assault, along with other feminist student groups, in order to raise awareness about the “victim blaming” that had taken place.
Many students at the protest held signs that read “students can stop rape by” and then writing in suggestions, such as “speaking up.” They also chanted “whatever we wear, wherever we go – yes means yes and no means no.”
At the heart of the protest was their vocalized anger at the suggestion by campus student opinion columnist Rob Monteleone that personal responsibility among women could play a role in the so-called campus rape epidemic.
The column issued advice to female students, such as use the buddy system, have a plan, go out in groups, keep an eye on each other, and designate a driver. He also alluded to the notion that high alcohol consumption plays a large role in campus sexual assault statistics, and yet alcohol is rarely blamed or addressed in the problem of campus rape. The column never forbade or discouraged women from drinking, but he did encourage them to do so responsibly.
His Sept. 2 op-ed stated in part that:
There’s an old saying that reads, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” We lock our bikes and label food in the fridge because we don’t want them to be stolen. When something of ours is stolen, we blame ourselves, saying “I left it out!” or something to that effect.
Girls — go out in groups, keep an eye on each other, designate a driver. And bring your common sense. When it’s 2 a.m. and a guy invites you to his room, it isn’t to show you his baseball card collection. Plan ahead. Tell your girlfriends whether or not you plan to or want to hook up that night.
Yes, some guys are wolves in sheep’s clothing, but you can greatly reduce the risks of being assaulted with a little foresight. Make a plan at 7 p.m. so you aren’t making accusations at 7 a.m.
Before anyone stomps their feet in outrage and says I’m blaming victims here, ask yourselves: Is it not better to exercise some caution beforehand and not have to blame anyone?
Comments under Monteleone’s column included “stop perpetuating rape culture” and “so what I think this article is saying is that men have virtually no impulse control, and that it’s really hard not to rape someone, guys.”
The column has gone somewhat viral on social media and produced a predictable cacophony of outrage at the University of Arizona, similar to the anger directed at the former George Washington University president earlier this year after he suggested that college women should not get drunk as a measure to avoid getting raped.
The column has caused so much controversy that the Arizona Daily Wildcat editorial board issued an editorial in response, claiming that “Monteleone is a student here, and his views are shared by others (hopefully not many of them). We’re representing a portion of the student body, even if it’s one that we find unsavory.”
At the Thursday protest, Madison Woodward, an intern with Students Promoting Empowerment and Consent (SPEAR) and a volunteer at the rally, told The College Fix she was there because the column was “blaming the victim” and saying “things like ‘you shouldn’t go out to drink.’ ”
Another student participant at the rally, Kyrra Kahler, said she was upset about the column because “it was like, ‘Oh, women, don’t drink or whatever.’”
But at least one student at the rally had slightly different approach.
“Yes, you need to have common sense, but it’s a difficult scenario,” student Colby Riley said. “They’re not telling people you can’t get drunk, they’re saying you have to worry about guys and you shouldn’t have to worry about guys.”
When pressed for his solution to the problem of rape culture, Riley said: “I honestly don’t think there’s a solution. You’ll always run into those guys.”
College Fix reporter Kasey Marie Shores is a student at the University of Arizona.
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