Ellen Taylor’s article in the Aug. 25 edition of Central Michigan Life,
“Prepare for a weekend of craziness, hook-ups,” provides many helpful
suggestions about the consumption (and over-consumption) of alcohol for
freshman students. Taylor discusses hangovers and hangover cures at
great length.

The article fails, however, to mention anything about sexual assault
and its relation to alcohol and incoming freshmen.

Alcohol is the number one rape drug; it is legal, easily obtainable
and socially acceptable. For that reason, many sexual predators utilize
binge drinking to incapacitate their targets. The only warning about
this very real danger Taylor offers is a vague reference to “one or two
fraternities on campus that have acquired a reputation.”

The sad fact is that incoming students will have no idea to which
fraternities Taylor is referring and thus the warning has little impact.

Freshmen students are the number one targeted group by sexual
predators. Sexual Assault Peer Advocates (SAPA), the peer-to-peer
sexual assault response group on campus, had a total of 216 contacts
due to sexual violence last year. Over 40 of the contacts occurred
before the month of October and over 30 of the contacts dealt with
freshmen.

What this means is that freshmen are being singled out by sexual
predators who prey on their inexperience with college life and lack of
support systems.

Taylor’s article makes several dismissive references to incoming
freshmen as objects of sexual desire by calling them “everyone’s
favorite” and “freshmen we love oh so much.”

Taylor also, perhaps unwittingly, contributes to the “conquest”
mentality of sexual assault that permeates society with comments
referring to sexual activities as “new notches on the bedpost” and
addressing freshmen as “fresh meat.” The latter comment is the most
revolting as it seems to almost encourage predation by sexual
assailants.

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