Experiences and Solutions to Sexual Assault



Michael Imo
Mdi7@txstate.edu

Crystal Lopez
Theater Major at Texas State
SAN MARCOS, Texas – Sexual assault is one of the more prevailing issues in colleges across the United States. From Oct. 28 – 29 I conducted several interviews with Texas State University students about the topic.

“[Sexual assault] happens at places you don’t expect to happen” says 20-year-old Texas State junior student Crystal Lopez.

Lopez believes sexual assault is a real thing and a problem at Texas State because she herself has experienced it.

“It happened at a house party. My friend was looking for me but I was locked in the room with him and I couldn’t get out. He kept pulling me into the bed and like…you know?” Lopez said. “My friend finally burst in and we left.”

From that experience, Lopez says to stay sober or stay with friends when you drink. She also added that you shouldn’t be around people you don’t know.

Texas State University have several resources to help report and prevent future assaults. Bobcat Bobbies provides a call number to have trained escorts take you to your destination.  

They also have Men Against Violence (MAV), a peer education program on campus sponsored by the Student Health Center that seeks to break the link which exists between traditional norms of masculinity the ways men are taught to behave and violence.

Even with all that, Lopez thinks more should be done.

She says there should be more clubs and advocates talking about their experience to let people know how prominent [sexual assault] is.

Melvin Ayala, 21, is also a student at Texas State. He says that a way to prevent sexual assault is to make sure there is consent and if he is ever a witness he will speak up or notify someone about the situation.


If you have experienced or witnessed sexual assault, please contact the Hays-Caldwell Women’s Center at 512-396-HELP (4357) or the University Police Department at 512-245-2890 or MAV at menagainstviolence@txstate.edu.

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