- Nick Reinhart
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/catherine-rampell-stop-the-campus-rape-numbers-game/2014/08/04/da82dcfc-1c0d-11e4-ae54-0cfe1f974f8a_story.html?tid=pm_opinions_pop
This article Stop the Campus Rape Numbers Game, by Catherine Rampell, primarily disuses the major issue of sexual assault and rape that happens at universities across the United States. Conversely, instead of simply trying to raise awareness of this issue, the article primarily raises the problem that current data taken from surveys here and there simply isn't enough to provide an accurate perspective how bad, or good, the numbers are for each school individually.
This article in particular makes the claim the knowledge of sexual assault and rape crimes we have is not sufficient to provide an accurate perspective on the entire issue. Rampell argues that each university should run surveys that each student can anonymously respond too. Through this way anyone who has been subject to this crime is able to speak up without the embarrassment that they may feel comes along with it. Of course given that this is an opinion both sides of the case can easily be argued. The knowledge claim is entirely reliant on what the author or reader believes is a sufficient amount of data.
On a personal basis I would have to agree with the claim that Rampell is making. The limited data that is available makes our knowledge of how many women actually do experience this awful crime very restricted. Having virtually every student take a survey would only be beneficial in giving us the best data possible. The only trouble I see with doing this is possibly making extra work for universities. However to avoid too much extra hassle, you could simply require that the survey be done along with any other kind of formal documents students need to hand to attend the school.
The source itself I can say is fairly reliable. The article originates from The Washington Post’s opinion section and was written by Catherine Rampell on August 4, 2014. Despite the credibility of the Washington Post, Catherine Rampell possibly shows some bias on this topic given her background as a young female. She does not talk about the sexual assault on men; even though it is less common, it still does happen. In addition it is important to note that this did come from the opinion section of the newspaper, and therefore is not incorrect in voicing a strong opinion.
In general, the article does cohere to what I already know. It seems strange but not completely surprising that universities or the government have not pushed forward against sexual assault or rape, given that, as the article states, around 41% of cases aren't even reported, not to mention that the subject in itself is very sensitive and needs to be treated with not only the up most care but also respect. It is not unreasonable to believe that something could be done to get an even better statistic that is more representative of the actual number of women who suffer, which could lead to better solutions. Even though it may not be extremely practical to go about seeking further information on this topic, using surveys as a medium is the most practical option and would work the best reinforcing the truth behind this article’s knowledge claim
Word Count: 527
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Sexual Assault at the University level
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What you have said here is very interesting, because it is true that rape is a major issue in most colleges. I have even heard stories of some fraternities making it a requirement to join to rape a woman, and is obviously an issue worth looking at. However, the idea of using an anonymous survey to make statistics is a data form that I myself do not find reliable. Anonymous surveys, from my experience, just give the person answering it the chance to say whatever they wanted to say without fear of getting caught, and may not exactly be true. Even if the survey was anonymous, I do not believe that it creates too much work for the college. We are on the impression that on college grounds, we should be safe, and it is the college's responsibility to make sure we are able to live without having to look over the other shoulder.
ReplyDeleteNick, i find what you have said to be quite interesting. Rape, at least to my knowledge, is very common at the university level. Unlike what Manny had said above, i personally have never heard of such stories. Although, they seem quite believable. Anonymous surveys should not, in my opinion, be used for such grave matters due to the fact that they tend to be unreliable. Through surveys, especially when they are anonymous, you could potentially say whatever you want to say, hence, destroying its reliability. Next, i absolutely agree with you on the idea that the article itself is most likely subjective since it was written by a young woman. The author Rampbell, might have exaggerated her claim to make it seem more critical than it truly is. Anyways, to finalize, i would like to give my own opinion on the issue itself and we could potentially solve it. As i stated previously, i dont specifically agree with the use of survey although i dont see any other ways to obtain this kind of information. So, as you had said in your post, surveys should be done and accounted for along with other mandatory documents, which in turn, are imperative to attend the institution
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