An Indiana State University study revealing that 40 percent of male college students participate in drinking games to take sexual advantage of their female opponents has led the Boston University community to look inward at the behavior of its own students.
BU’s Youth Alcohol Prevention Center Director Richard Saitz said approximately 10 percent of students report alcohol-related assaults. Last year at BU, he said, it was reported that half of freshmen drank heavily and half of those that drank, drunkenly engaged in sexual activities they later regretted.
“Certainly alcohol can decrease social inhibition, which can make both sex and unwanted sex more likely,” Saitz said. “An overdose can make some unconscious, and they could then be assaulted. During intoxication, where a student is unconscious, they may still be less likely to resist a sexual advance.”
The ISU study also concluded that alcohol is the leading date rape drug. BU Women’s Center Vice President Jennifer Haynes agreed that there is a connection between alcohol and sexual assault.
“Drinking to excess and being taken advantage of are absolutely intertwined,” she said. “Perpetrators of sexual assault are usually someone the victim knows already, so even the ‘safe’ people a woman parties with may not be looking out for her.”
Haynes said women can partake in drinking games without fear of sexual assault if they take the necessary precautions. She said women should bring friends, be aware of their surroundings and follow their instincts.
Still, Haynes said, “Women can become victims of sexual assault whether drunk or sober.”
She said these crimes would continue until men are better educated about sexual assault.
BU Women’s Center President Lindsey Plait said she believes that many women drink to ease the discomfort of social situations. She said a large part of this problem is not that women drink, but that society is very accepting of using alcohol to ease the dating scene.
Plait said this problem will continue until universities take responsibility for the problem and women learn to respect themselves.
According to the Centers for Disease Control Sexual Violence Fact Sheet, 20 to 25 percent of college age women report being a victim of rape or sexual assault.
“The rape of women by alcohol is just a symptom of a larger problem,” Plait said.
College of Communication junior JD Beebe said there is more to date rape than just alcohol.
“Date rape has more to do with a person who commits it than drinking,” he said.
Beebe called drinking games “a reason to drink.”
“It’s fun,” he said. “It can lead to sexual outcomes, and it gives you competition.”
Plait said that because the victimization of women is something that has been ingrained in the social scene, we are desensitized to it.
Saitz said he realizes heavy drinking is promoted on college campuses. He said students need to reduce their alcohol intake in order to decrease the number of alcohol-related assaults.
Saitz added that students should be aware of other dangerous outcomes of drinking, including accidents, overdose, car crashes, vomiting or sexual assault.
“The rape of women by alcohol is just a symptom of a larger problem,” Plait said.
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