An Open Letter to President Sally Mason at The University of Iowa

There are so many things wrong with your statements you made in the Daily Iowan after the 7th, yes, seventh, sexual assault between August 2013 and mid February 2014, six of which were on campus.

Sexual assault is “human nature”

Apparently you don’t understand. Rape is not human nature. Rape is not caused because of placing yourself in a risky situation, like “hey maybe I shouldn’t walk through campus alone because someone might stick his penis in my vagina in a nonconsensual manner and that would be a bad situation.”

In the news coming out of University of Iowa , with 7 sexual assaults since school started back in August, it seems like it has become commonplace to get a Hawk Alert (very delayed, mind you) that another sexual assault happened on campus.

Categorizing rape to “human nature” allows for banality. Banality allows for this idea that rape is tolerated, or at least the idea that it’s shoved under than really expensive rug so no one actually really does anything about it.

At what magical number should sexual assault become commonplace? In case you were wondering, President Mason, that number is zero. Rape isn’t ordinary, nor should it ever be allowed to become ordinary.

“Sexual assault… is a difficult situation” for victims

By saying you should avoid something that is “bad” or “risky” puts it in the same category as “I probably shouldn’t get fries today with my burger because that’s ‘bad’ or ‘risky’ for my cholesterol, but, you know what? Let’s live life on the edge. It’s only human nature.”

Do not trivialize sexual assault as being a difficult situation. For all of the humans out there who have suffered from sexual assault, do not trivialize it because those humans out there do not consider it trivial. Sexual assault is abhorrent, demoralizing, disgusting, and completely life changing. It’s not a “difficult situation.”

Educating students on the resources available

How about we educate students not to sexually assault? How about we stop with the victim blaming and slut shaming. How about when we give out statements from the Presidential office to make sure it doesn’t sound like “hey, here’s a trifold brochure on your changing body now that you’ve been raped. It’s only human nature.”

On Iowa. Go Hawks?

As an alumnus of the University of Iowa and as someone who has actually worked closely with you on a number of occasions, this reaction sickens me. It sickens me because you’re supposed to be the leader of my alma mater.

You’re supposed to be an educator, a mentor, a leader. You’re supposed to have the interest of ALL of your students at heart. You’re supposed to cultivate a safe place where ideas can thrive and growth can succeed. What you’re not supposed to do is cultivate a campus where students, staff, alumni, and community members wonder if today is the day they get raped because it’s “human nature.”

President Mason, you have left a bad taste in my mouth and a bad image in my mind of The University of Iowa. And until you change your beliefs on sexual assaults and how to prevent them, I refuse to recommend The University of Iowa as an institution worth attending.

With sincerest disappointment to be a Hawkeye alumnus,

A Hawkeye alumnus***

***P.S. If you don’t know which article I’m referencing, here it is:

http://www.dailyiowan.com/2014/02/20/Metro/36726.html