Editors note: Names have been changed for confidentiality.

In college, a fun night out with friends should be just that, a fun night out. But for one freshman at USU, that night turned out to be devastating.

Debbie, a junior, went out dancing with her roommates and a friendly guy, Brad, who offered to give them a ride if he could come with. The girls accepted, and they went to Club NVO – now Club New York.

That night Debbie and Brad got into an argument. The two weren’t speaking. After a night of dancing, the group went home. Soon after, Debbie received a text message from Brad inviting her over. Hoping to resolve the fight, she walked to his room.

The following is an account from Debbie of what allegedly happened that night.

While in the middle of apologizing, Brad kissed her and then aggressively pinned her down on his bed. Debbie tried to fight him. He grabbed her by the arms, then her neck and held her down. He proceeded to take off her clothing and grabbed her by the hair and forced her to perform oral sex on him.

According to the Utah Department of Health, one in three females and one in five males will be sexually assaulted by the age of 18, and 60 percent of reported rapes involve victims under the age of 18. Unfortunately that makes this scenario not as uncommon in Logan as many may think. The sad statistic is, one in four females will be raped or sexually assaulted before getting to college.

The U.S. Justice Department generally defines rape as forced sexual intercourse, including vaginal, anal or oral penetration – penetration may be by a body part or an object. The Justice Department generally defines sexual assault as unwanted sexual contact that stops short of rape or attempted rape. This includes sexual touching and fondling. Some states use this term interchangeably with rape.

According to the Utah Department of Health, approximately 16 percent of rapes are reported to law enforcement. However, according to Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice (UCCJJ), that percentage is closer to 9.8 percent.

In Utah, 91.4 percent of rapes were committed by someone the victim knew, according to UCCJJ. This is more commonly known as date rape, as Debbie experienced.

Many people believe that rapes only happen when there is alcohol involved. While drugs and alcohol can play a large role in rapes, that is not always the case.

Often the stigma attached to being raped makes victims feel uncomfortable or even scared to come forward.

Debbie said, “It’s all a mind game. It screws with you. Rape is not only a strong form of sexual assault, but it is also a degrading, ruining sexual attack. It screws with your ability to focus – relationships and your everyday life. You get major trust and abandonment issues. It’s trashy and degrading. I was dehumanized.”

Many people dissociate themselves from the realities of rape as a form of avoidance.

Debbie said, “You wouldn’t rely on TV and movies to teach your kids about sex so why would you rely on that to teach anyone about rape? It’s not a guy jumping out of the bushes in a dark alley who puts a gun to your head. Most of the time, it’s someone you know.”

Rachel Brighton, director of USU’s Sexual Assault and Anti Violence Information (SAAVI), said, “Sexual and gender violence are men’s issues too. Violence impacts everyone – whether you experience it personally or it impacts the life of a loved one. Inviting men and women to become allies in ending violence sends a powerful message to our community. When men publicly stand up and show their commitment, their actions encourage other men to start thinking about how they personally can do their part to end violence.”

Ignoring or pretending rape and sexual assault aren’t problems only worsens the issue, perpetuating the cycle of silence that many victims take. Education is essential to fix the problem and opening up the lines of communication between people is a great way to start. Local offices like SAAVI and Community Abuse Prevention Services Agency (CAPSA) are great places that offer a safe place to go for rape, sexual assault and domestic-abuse victims.

According to the Utah Department of Health, rape victims are at increased risk for substance abuse and 13 times more likely to attempt suicide. Thirty percent of victims experience major depression at some point in their life and the emotional consequences of sexual assault and rape are often manifested by sleeping and eating disorders, nervousness, anxiety or an inability to accomplish daily tasks.

Between August and November, known as Red Zone, college students are at the highest risk for rape and sexual assault. One of the goals of the presentations was to inform incoming freshmen on how to make good decisions at parties and to be aware of their surroundings.

One class in particular that is offered through the university is Rape Aggression Defense (RAD). RAD is a women-only class that shows women how to protect themselves. It teaches women that even though many men may be physically stronger, if they have the knowledge of certain self-defense techniques they can get out of a potentially harmful situation.

In 2005, there were 34 reported rapes in Cache County, according to the Utah Department of Public Safety.

– jessica.vasil@aggiemail.usu.edu