As I embark on college tours with my 17-year-old son this summer, I am overwhelmed by all of the data thrown at us in our readings and by our guides—11 percent to 13 percent acceptance rates, average SAT scores in the 2000–2150 range, GPAs for incoming freshman hovering around 3.6 or 3.7. But one set of statistics is notably missing: We hear absolutely nothing about campus sexual assault rates.
Like most parents on college tours, I’ve followed the media coverage of high-profile cases of sexual assault and the various ways schools are moving to address the problem. But my concern is also informed by my own experiences, as well as my work as a physician focused on boys’ and young men’s health.
As the father of a black son in America, I have tried to teach him to respect women both in my actions and non-actions—to respect women as individuals and to respect them for their personal achievements. I have tried to teach by example. I have tried to teach him to be communicative and assertive to his needs whenever necessary. And I have thought long and hard about conversations in our future—the realities of how to negotiate campus relationships, including the sad possibility that race could at some point play a role in how his actions are perceived.
[For more of this story, written by David L. Bell, go to http://www.psmag.com/health-an...-of-college-campuses]
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