Published: April 13, 2005
Rape education is an important issue, particularly for college students. One in four college-age women have either been the victim of rape or attempted rape. The United States, in fact, has the leading rape rates out of all countries that publish them.
While it is therefore admirable that PJC has its own Rape Risk Reduction program, why is PJC club funding tied to Rape Risk Education compliance?
Some administration members cite off-campus parties as the reason for enforcing this rule; others argue that rape education is pertinent to all college students and that enforcing attendance for clubs is a way to reach all students.
However, it is both unfair and unrealistic to project this responsibility on school clubs. PJC has no history of rape ever taking place on campus, and administration members cite no concrete proof of misbehavior. Why punish clubs, which offer constructive outlets for students, for allegorical evidence of inappropriate behavior?
Even more importantly, this method does not reach all students. What percentage of PJC students are actively involved in clubs? Five? 10? Even using an obviously unrealistic estimate like 25 percent, that still means that rape education does not reach a whopping three quarters of students!
If the college is serious about educating people about rape, as well it should be, administration members should find a way that doesn’t involve scapegoating students who are easy targets because they need funding.