Sexual assault story

Peanut Butter is to jelly as sexual assault is to college

By Mary Weinand
Maw238@txstate.edu

SAN MARCOS, TX- I conducted interviews about sexual assault on Oct. 29, 2018 among students attending a university to gain knowledge on its prominence in today's society.

On Monday, Oct. 29, I asked Alicia Martinez and Katherine Huizar to share their stories of sexual assault and their thoughts on the matter, so I could better understand how it affects college students.

"It's always a no unless verbally confirmed as a yes," says Huizar.

Martinez described sexual assault as any unwanted or unwarranted sexual touch or comment, while Huizar defined it as when someone forces you to do something sexual without consent. Sexual assault covers a wide range of things but when asked to define in, these were the most common answers. It is like everyone knows that you need consent in order to proceed with any course of action, yet it is still an issue.

"I knew what had happened before I actually knew what had happened," said Huizar.

Sharing similar stories, these two women found themselves being taken advantage of in an intoxicated state and the worst happened. Both while in college, both by someone they knew.

Huizar says the worst part about surviving a sexual assault is learning to be able see them on a regular basis after that and pretending that everything was alright.

Moving forward, the two hope to be more vigilant of themselves, their surroundings and of others. If you see someone struggling, go and lend a hand. Ask questions. Help others as you would hope they would help you.

"If you see someone that's intoxicated, don't leave them alone," said Martinez. "That's the worst thing you can do."

In regards to what campuses should do to better prevent sexual assault, Martinez said that schools should start putting their students first rather than their public image. When dealing with the aftermath of her assault, her university swept it aside and since then she has lost faith in the school's system of dealing with sexual assault. Huizar on the other hand, said that no matter what the school tries or how hard we try to prevent it, it is still going to happen.

"All we can do is look out for ourselves and look out for each other," said Huizar. "Unfortunately, it's one of those inevitable things because there's always going to be bad people."

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, here is a link to the Texas State University Student Health Centers page full of resources available to you: https://www.healthcenter.txstate.edu/AFTER-HOURS/sexual-assault-resources.html.