Brock Turner, champion swimmer, was recently released from prison three months earlier than his six-month sentence. Many planned to protest outside of San Jose Hall of Justice to have the judge retained. There is now a bill inspired by the case to support the victims of sexual assault. The bill will change state law and extend that automatic denial to all perpetrators of sexual assault. In other word, it will ensure that anyone convicted of sexual assault in California cannot be sentenced to probation.
In March 2015 Brock Turner was convicted on 3 felony counts of sexual assault of an intoxicated and unconscious woman. In a sexual assault case the defendant usually gets up to 14 years, but the judge felt as though that would be too harsh.
On Cabrini’s campus, sexual assault is not taken lightly and there are many people who will vouch for this case.
“I especially read the letter penned by the victim in the case,” Cindy Ikeler, head men’s and women’s swim coach and director of aquatics and safety said.
In a controversial case like this many people forget about the victim who should always be the main concern. Ikeler mentioned there is zero tolerance for sexual assault. A situation like this definitely increases awareness that the coaching staff needs to bring to the team. If anything like Turner’s case was to ever happen on campus the swim team will receive a bystander intervention with Mary Anders in public safety and make sure both men and women teams are educated on the importance of the matter.
Dr. Amy Persichetti, assistant professor of education, spoke deeply on sexual assault. People use any excuse to say rape is a miscommunication.
“Rape is a crime of power and control, not sex,” Persichetti said.
Women are often de-victimized in most rape cases. Women are asked question of how and why they did not prevent it. This keeps a woman form coming forward because she then feels like she did not do enough.
Rape culture is a behavior that needs to be stopped. Students on campus need to be more aware of this behavior and take action.
“If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you have to let that individual know he or she is not alone in this,” Student Jerome Bailey, senior social work major, said. Students who are affected by this need to know and be aware that they can seek safety in their peers.
