Party culture can be factor in sexual assault, but is not the culprit, WMU police say

Western Herald - news









When Deputy Chief of Police Carol Dedow was a student at Western Michigan University over 30 years ago, the drinking culture was more relaxed. Alcohol was easier to get for underage students and the Minor in Possession by Consumption law didn't exist yet.











 






The national survey on drug use and health revealed that 59 percent of college students drank within the last month of the survey and 39 percent binge drank. This is the difference between then and now, Dedow said. What she describes as black-out binge drinking, and continuous partying every weekend is a newer practice among today’s students.





 





According to the Department of Justice and the National Collegiate Date of Acquaintance Rape Statistics, the perpetrator was intoxicated in one-third of sexual assaults, and 90 percent of acquaintance rapes involve alcohol. Today’s heavy drinking culture can make the already risky party scene far more difficult to navigate for students and police alike. However, alcohol is not to blame for the perpetrator's behavior, Dedow said.





 





“Just because the suspect had been drinking doesn't negate the fact they committed a crime,” Dedow said. “They can’t use that excuse. People try and say ‘I wouldn't have done it otherwise.’ Yes, you would have. It’s a crime of power and control.”





 





Women are thought to be the typical victims of sexual assault, as one in five college aged women face it, according to the DOJ. However, male students also face assault, but it typically involves couples as opposed to acquaintances and strangers, Director of Title IX Compliance for WMU Felicia Crawford said.





 





“When we see female students that are respondents and males as complainers, it’s usually intimate partner violence,” Crawford said.





 





Intimate partner violence, like sexual assault, is also against University policy and illegal.  Crawford said student safety is important to WMU administration and assaults both types are taken seriously.





 





“We put ...


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