After the holidays, the University saw a shocking report that exposed ignorant attitudes towards the topic of sexual assault.
On Dec. 27 2010, news broke that Garrett Wittels, one of the University’s most well-known student athletes and the owner of the second-longest hitting streak in NCAA history, was arrested while on vacation in the Bahamas and charged, along with two of his friends, with the rape of two 17-year-old girls.
The guilt or innocence of those involved will not be determined for months, as a preliminary hearing in front of Magistrate Derence Rolle-Davis is not set to occur until April 18. This will be an ongoing story that will likely dominate University-related headlines as Wittels’ streak was to be covered by sports giant ESPN in the first series of the season, and his eligibility for the upcoming season remains in question.
It is not for The Beacon to discuss the details of the case and come to any prediction regarding its outcome, nor is it our place to question the moral character of anyone involved. Contributing to the verdict of the court of public opinion is not something we are interested in taking part of, and will not be the basis of this discussion.
It is apparent throughout the discussion of this trial just how much ignorance there seems to be about rape, sexual assault and the concept of consent. Just in briefly reading through the comments on the Miami Herald’s first story on this case, a number of embarrassing and uninformed opinions regarding the case specifically and broader generalizations regarding ideas of sexual assault and consent stand out.
Statements range from the relatively mild like, “Young women must stop putting themselves in situations to be dishonored,” to the flatly offensive, such as, “In some jurisdictions, impairment (drunk) negates the ability to consent. So we have rape. Ladies can have their cake and eat it too…”
The relative anonymity of the Internet lends itself to these kinds of statements, but they are indicative of a broader ignorance regarding sexual assault in the general populace.
A statement such as, “Sounds like the girls were looking for a fling… Morning regret does not equate to rape,” is common when it comes to alcohol-related sexual assault cases. There seems to be a general idea that the definition of rape is very narrow, involving the shadowy figure using force to subdue someone.
But, as Elika Nerette, assistant director of the University’s Victim Advocacy Center, said in the Nov. 30 2010 issue of The Beacon, “The majority of rapes are not by strangers jumping out of the bushes like we sometimes see on TV, that’s actually the least common.”
In the case of Wittels and his friends, it is clear that alcohol played a major role, as it often does in cases involving college-age victims. As the Miami Herald comments show, many people are simply uneducated about the role alcohol can play in sexual assault. It is not just something that leads to bad decisions.
Under Florida law, a person who is incapacitated due to alcohol or any other drug is rendered incapable of giving consent to sex.
Oftentimes, a “drunken hook-up” is something downplayed in media; for example, the film Observe and Report came under fire specifically for depicting this. However, in real life situations, especially in college, this ignorance is not something that can be overlooked.
Ignorance when it comes to the law is not an excuse. It is up to students to educate themselves with the resources available. Sexual assault is always an issue amongst college-aged adults, and education is one way to help avoid it.
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