By Reed Mateus

Sexual assault on U of L’s campus cannot be ignored, and the administration’s lack of communication does nothing to help matters. 

There had been four incidents listed as “rapes” on the Belknap campus Clery Reports by Sept. 16, when President Gerry Bradley told The Louisville Cardinal, “The nature of each assault can vary, but they were not officially classified as rape.”

Not only have there been more assaults since, but there’s also been a sort of quiet around the administration, such that students have had to turn to the ULPD for information.

It is true to say that not every sexual assault is considered rape, but that doesn’t mean anything to the victims or the culture that perpetuates it.

ULPD Chief Col. Steven Green expands on this, telling The Louisville Cardinal in an Oct. 21 interview, “While everything shows it’s a rape, we do not have a rapist on this campus. We have folks that know each other, and one of them takes advantage of the other.”

One student, who wishes to remain anonymous, shared in an interview their experience of being assaulted as a minor leaving a party. They explained, “I was walked home by a male friend of mine, and he proceeded to sexually assault me on the walk home by putting his hand underneath my clothes.” 

To say that not all sexual assault is rape should not be to dissuade accusations, undermine or debate the experiences of sexual assault victims. It should be to point to trends in how sexual assaults happen, trends that are valuable to keep in mind when combating sexual assault in the first place. 

When asked about a potential solution to the sexual assaults, the anonymous student said, “I know that there are a lot of students and there is a lot of support to provide, but more resources. We do not need more policing,” citing their interaction with the PEACC center, where they were offered therapy but were not followed up with. 

“The police presence is usually at places that are non-threatening, students organizing,” they said. “That is where the police are located, not in the places where we are most vulnerable.” 

Spreading word about the sexual assaults is also an effective strategy.

A post by the U of L YDSA Instagram account regarding the assaults received over 600 likes in a period of six days, and provided a way for survivors to share their stories anonymously as well as phone numbers for two sexual violence hotlines. 

The ULPD seems to agree that creating ways for victims to share their stories is key, as officers “have recently joined the BRICC committee to create open lines of communication and help students feel more comfortable engaging with ULPD.”

“You cannot begin to fathom the amount of unreported rapes and assaults happening on this campus” the anonymous student said regarding the scope of the problem. 

“It is such a large portion of people that have been harassed to some extent, assaulted, raped, anything. This all matters, and it is not a legal battle, and it is not a nature of the situation. It is real life.” 

Sexual assault is widespread and deeply ingrained in our culture, but we are not without hope. 

Providing resources and validation to the victims of sexual assault is vital to making their stories heard, an important first step towards ending assault culture for good. And should the administration choose to contribute, they would be a key part of the effort.

Reed Mateus is a junior at the University of Louisville majoring in Creative Writing.

Feature Design / Emma Posey