College students across the state are busy preparing for an exciting weekend of Halloween parties, replete with cheesy decorations, skimpy costumes, and of course, booze. Some students will agonize for a month over the perfect costume, wanting the most unique costume that shows just how cool they are. Some will forget until the last minute and on Saturday will dig out the big sweater and tights and go as the "'80s girl" for the third year in a row.
What most students will not consider in their preparation is taking precautions for their own safety. Many underestimate the prevalence of rape and sexual assault on college campuses. One study estimates that one out of every four college-aged women will be the victim of rape or sexual assault. Students are at risk at any time, but especially on an alcohol-fueled holiday that advocates becoming a different, wilder character than your usual self.
My experience with Halloween is centered around Chapel Hill. My first year on campus, I had never heard of the Franklin Street traditions. I chose to dress in a short skirt and skimpy top, going for the Britney Spears look. (I know it's a crappy costume; I was 18, cut me some slack. And it was mostly done ironically. Anyway.) I headed out to the festivities with a dozen friends, including my boyfriend at the time. By the way, easiest way to tell a group of freshmen is that they are the ones traveling in packs of at least 15 'friends' that are really near-strangers. We began on one end of the street and decided to walk all the way down and back. This was highly entertaining for a good while, just looking at and commenting on the insane costumes college students imagine into existence. But before the end of the night, I had had my butt grabbed no less than three times - twice under my skirt. I was disgusted and appalled. Of course, the culprits were experts at the game. They would make sure to do their grabbing at the moment that the crowd was so tightly packed that I, in all my five-foot glory, couldn't see a thing except bodies all around me. (And take a look at that picture - the crowd was always tightly packed.) The gropers wouldn't look at me, so then when I looked up in alarm, all the faces around me were looking away, not noticing a thing. In these conditions, there was absolutely no way I could figure out who the offender was, much less remember and report it to anyone.
What astounded me later was the number of people - men and women - who told me that this wasn't a big deal. It was all part of Franklin Street Halloween: If you don't expect it, you're naive, and if you don't like it, stay home. Contrary to popular opinion, the actions I described above constitute a violation of the law. Groping, touching, or grabbing someone without their consent is sexual assault. The law is crystal clear on this, and yet many students write it off as harmless.
So let's all remember to respect each other and keep our hands to ourselves. This shouldn't be a hard concept for college students to grasp; we learned how to keep our hands to ourselves in Kindergarten. Just because it's showing doesn't mean you're allowed to touch it. And any sort of sexual act requires active consent from both parties - if you don't hear a 'yes,' then stop. If you hear nothing, then stop. If you hear 'no,' then stop.
To end this on a chilling note that I hope will jar some readers into taking action to prevent assault, here is one last terrifying statistic. The highest risk window of time for a college student to be raped is from the first day of school her freshman year until Thanksgiving break. We're not quite yet in the clear.
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