Chances are, as a college student, drug and alcohol use has impacted your life in some way. Whether it was the night your belligerently drunk roommate stumbled into your dorm room and spewed half digested pizza from Bob’s into your sock drawer, or the morning you discovered your Instagram riddled with selfies taken somewhere between McDonalds and that big red chair you and your friends discovered like an inebriated Lewis and Clark, #lookwhatwefound.
Justin Ackerman | Argonaut
We’ve all been there, and like it or not partying is a deeply ingrained part of the college social scene. However, that doesn’t mean we have to be okay with everything that happens for the sake of a good time.
In fact, we would probably be better off without a lot of it, and there are things a lot worse than ruined socks and embarrassment at the hands of social media.
There are certain lines nobody should cross, and contrary to what Robin Thicke might say, they are pretty well established. In practice though, people don’t quite appreciate the fine line between drunken sex and sexual assault.
Title 18, chapter 61 of the Idaho Statutes gives the legal definition for rape within the state of Idaho. Part of this definition covers the more sinister and stereotypical faces of rape, but other parts cover acts some people may not even see as a problem.
Unless both parties are able to give consent with a sound mind, pursuing sexual relations with that person is nefarious at worst and questionable at best. That girl who had a few too many whiskey sours nodding off in the corner, she can’t give consent. Neither can that guy who has been passed out on the couch since 9.
So when your buddy tries to take one of them home, he’s not just getting laid and having a good time. He’s walking on a very slippery slope, morally, ethically and legally.
Nobody wants to tell their friend what they are doing is wrong, but it has to happen.
According to the Department of Justice, roughly 17.7 million women and 2.8 million men have fallen victim to sexual assault since 2003. College-aged people make up 37.5 percent of those assaults, according to the Center for Disease Control, and alcohol contributes to nearly 19 percent of them.
These numbers are alarmingly high, and most people do not take them as seriously as they should.
One person’s night of stupid, drunken fun can easily become an incredibly emotionally damaging and life-changing event for someone else.
Luckily, college students everywhere are in a position to change this. Next time you see someone trying to game up the girl who blacked out, stop them. You would be doing everybody involved a huge favor.
Justin Ackerman can be reached at [email protected]