This past week President Obama announced the creation of a new federal task force to address the issue of sexual assault on campuses across the country. This effort by the President actually began due to "an inspiring wave of student-led activism" at the grass-roots level. The federal task force has 90 days to submit recommendations on how to better protect female students.
Professor Susan Estrich of the University of Southern California has taught rape law for over twenty years and claims that to better protect themselves female students need to be hyper-vigilant not only in "dangerous" situations like walking alone at night, but also in social situations where they actually feel "safe." She claims that many sexual assaults occur by friends or acquaintances or during parties after drugs being slipped into a drink. She also argues that sometimes it's not enough to say "No" to a would-be assailant in an unwanted sexual encounter, but saying or crying "rape" instead has a more powerful effect and may stop the attack more quickly than a simple, "No."
Thoughts?