Scott Schneider's article "Focus on Colleges Obscures Country's Broader Problem" was featured in Orlando Sentinel on April 10, 2015.

According to a Department of Justice report issued several months ago, there is a rape epidemic among 18 to 24 year-old women in the United States. To be clear, there is nothing about attending a college or university that makes someone more likely to be a victim of sexual assault. Indeed, one of the key conclusions in the report is that the incidence of sexual assault is higher for non-students than college students.

In the article, Scott discusses how rape is not just an issue on college campuses, but a broader issue in the country, in general. Of course, college and universities are primarily made up of 18 to 24 year-olds and are particularly impacted by the increased risk of sexual assault for this age group. While the media has attempted to construct a narrative of institutional indifference about sexual assault on college campuses (the most reckless version of this being the now infamous Rolling Stone article about the University of Virginia), reality is often far different.

Scott states that the discussion about rape in this country should focus on creating a criminal justice system where victims feel comfortable coming forward to law enforcement and rapists are brought to justice in courts. It should focus on providing resources to victims. It should focus on changing a national climate — both on and off campus— that creates exceptionally high rates of violence against women.

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