College binge drinking and sexual assault are linked, according to a recent study.
A Harvard School of Public Health study said that on college campuses with high levels of binge drinking, students are more at risk of being raped.
LSU was among the 119 schools to be surveyed for the study.
The study defined binge drinking as the consumption of at least five consecutive drinks for men or four consecutive drinks for women.
The LSU student survey reported that 25 percent of the respondents admitted to having consumed five or more drinks in the past month. Twenty percent of the students said that they had received unwanted sexual advances from a person who had been drinking. One percent of University students reported being the victim of an alcohol-related sexual assault.
The national data said that 4.7 percent of college women across the country fell victim to alcohol-related rape last year.
LSU statistics were not as high as the national numbers, but it is believed that alcohol related sex crimes do occur on campus.
“Many men who commit rape will choose women who are drunk or provide women with drinks to get them intoxicated, so it will be ‘easier’ for them to get sex,” said Kim Munro, coordinator for LSU Sexual Assault Victim’s Advocacy and Wellness Education Coordinator. “Women who are drunk are less able to defend themselves and are less aware of the situations they are in.”
Last year, SAVA received 13 anonymous student reports of rape. Ten of those occurred off-campus, three occurred on-campus and three were reported to the LSUPD, according to Munro.
These numbers might not accurately reflect the severity of sexual assault on campus.
Rape is the least reported crime, and that explains the low number of accounts reports, Munro said.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, for every 10,000 female students enrolled at a college campus, 350 of them are sexually assaulted each year.
Feelings of fear or guilt could be reasons that many victims do not alert authorities about their assault, Munro said.
“Many women will think being drunk somehow makes them responsible,” Munro said. “Taking advantage of someone sexually is a choice made by the perpetrator and the responsibility for the choice lies with the perpetrator.”
The Harvard study also said that being under the legal drinking ago increases binge drinkers chances of being victimized by 48 percent.
Students under 21 are more likely to test limits and take risks, Munro said.
Researchers involved in the Harvard study are urging schools to tackle both the issues of binge drinking and sexual assault.
The Campus-Community Coalition for Change, a student group that strives to reduce high risk drinking at LSU, suggests “drinking for positive reasons–alcohol may be part of, but not essential to, having a good time.”
Men can play a role in reducing the occurrence of rape.
“Men need to avoid having sex with anyone who is drunk or high,” Munro said. “Sober sex is safer.”
Victims of sexual assault can file anonymous reports with a LSU Sexual Assault Victim’s Advocate. A list of current advocates can be found at www.lsu.edu/wellness.