Sexual assault is a cancer that has now infected one of our most beloved institutions — LSU sports.
In the past six years, 11 people have reported rapes to LSUPD correlating with University gamedays and gameday weekends, but no one can say for certain how many sexual assaults go unreported.
Part of the problem is the environment. Gamedays create an atmosphere ripe for victim-blaming.
But alcohol at tailgates is as much to blame for campus rape as tiger-striped mini skirts — not at all. Rapists are the only common denominator in rape cases.
When we learn to stop chalking atrocities up to one too many keg stands and wondering how short a survivor’s dress was at the time of her attack, we will be miles closer to solving the problem of sexual assault.
LSU sports fans should view these reported rapes as an affront to the deep-seated tradition and brotherly commune found in Tiger Stadium, the PMAC and Alex Box Stadium. People who are tired of always looking over their shoulder might now elect to stay home on Saturdays, and we don’t blame them.
But to the disillusioned and disgusted: quitting on timeless traditions doesn’t help solve a problem.
These horrific incidents don’t represent the values of the University or the people from all walks of life who enjoy gamedays. When the Tiger faithful gather, their sense of community is apparent.
That same community should be united in creating a space where everyone is supportive of those brave enough to come forward regarding their attacks.
Victims should not have to live in fear knowing they have a support base of thousands. There is strength in numbers and power in your student sections.
This is a wake-up call. You’ve seen the horrors of sexual violence across campus and on your gamedays. They shouldn’t have to reach your homes before you take the first, small steps toward ensuring a better, safer community: believing survivors’ stories and watching out for one another.
Let’s make our communal sense of awareness just as strong as the cheers in Tiger Stadium at the season opener against Jacksonville State on Sept. 10.
It’s a Saturday Night in Death Valley, and we will stand together.
Geaux Tigers.