Last week, a list of safety tips originally entitled “Shedding the Victim Persona: Staying Safe on Campus” was published by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Police Department. The list swiftly attracted national attention after a front-page post on Jezebel, a blog-style website aimed at women’s interests, slammed UWPD for using victim-blaming language. Among pointers like “don’t travel alone,” “travel on well-lit paths,” “pre-plan” and “drink responsibly”—suggestions commonly featured in similar lists about campus safety—were more aggressively worded tips such as “If you present yourself as easy prey, then expect to attract some wolves;” “Be a hard target—a victim looks like a victim!” and “The right attitude is ‘I won’t let it happen to me!’”
We believe the list of tips—which, following the backlash, now has a revised title, several statements removed, an editor’s note and a list of resources for victims—was compiled with good intentions. However, the police department was irresponsible for publishing tips that, in the eyes of many people both on- and off-campus, were worded in a way that bordered on victim-blaming. The latter statement regarding one’s attitudes, which is one of the original statements that was preserved in the edited version of the list, is especially disconcerting—no one lets themselves be robbed, raped or sexually assaulted.
The department’s choice of wording was disappointing because it is an organization comprised of trained professionals who are expected to uphold a high standard of respect for victims and set a sterling example for the rest of the community.
As campuses around the country deal with an epidemic of sexual assaults, we believe the department should have worded its suggestions in a more supportive manner and, in the wake of multiple sexual assaults in residence halls across the UW-Madison campus, should have provided students with a detailed list of what sexual assault is and how consent must be given. Sexual assault is not just sexual intercourse when one or more of the individuals involved is intoxicated and unable to give consent—it is also unwarranted grinding or dancing, lewd “jokes” and distributing sexually explicit photos or videos of an individual without their consent (“revenge porn”). It can be perpetrated by a stranger or by a victim’s close acquaintance.
If UWPD is intent on reducing and eventually eliminating sexual assault on campus, they must accompany their list of tips for campus safety with education about the different types of sexual assault and how everyone on campus should confront and prevent them. Both the police department and members of the community must address the issue of sexual assault with the utmost seriousness and respect, or the epidemic of sexual assaults will persist and victims will continue to struggle for justice within an environment of shame and ignorance.
What is your opinion on the UWPD’s published statement? Do you agree or disagree that they missed the mark on campus crime? Do you know of a better way to highlight safety on campus?We want to hear from you. Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com
