Sexual assault is a huge problem on college campuses everywhere right now. We’ve heard women share their stories of sexual assault on campus and maybe we even know someone who’s been assaulted. Maybe that person is you, or your best friend, or a girl in your sorority. One in five women are sexually assaulted in college, and more often than not, the colleges themselves do little to help the victims manage their trauma.
An ad printed in the Harvard Crimson last week aimed to address the disturbing widespread presence of sexual aassaulton campus, and more importantly, how colleges react.
The ad was created by Goodby Silverstein & Partners and production company Prettybird and is called “Unacceptable Acceptance Letters.” It’s a horrifying twist on regular college acceptance letters first congratulating the recipient for acceptance and then informing the person of their probability of being raped during their time in college.
College acceptance letters get seriously dark, beginning with one in the Harvard Crimson: https://t.co/vUjXvIY0kc pic.twitter.com/YWmLrFJTeF
— Adweek (@Adweek) April 18, 2016
It reads:
Dear [blurred out name],
On behalf of the [blurred] community, I would like to congratulate you on your acceptance to the University of [blurred]. We know that you will make lifelong friends and memories here on campus.We’re sorry that one of those memories will include being raped by someone you thought you could trust. You’ll fear him the night he presses you against a wall and every night after that.
The claims you will make against your rapist will be ignored, much like your right to feel safe at school. After all, you can’t expect us to expel someone on the basis of a story that begins with “I had been drinking.”
Alcohol has a way of making you stretch the truth, and we don’t respond to liars.
Sincerely,
Director of Admissions
“One in five women are sexually assaulted in college,” the ad reads. “If they accept you, don’t accept this.”
The campaign didn’t stop there. Goodby Silverstein & Partners and production company Prettybird also released parody videos of young girls excitedly finding out they’ve been accepted to college… and also finding out that they might be raped at that college.
The videos are pretty powerful, and they come at an important time, as this is the time of the year when college acceptance letters start going out.
GS&P executive creative director Margaret Johnson talked to Ad Week about the campaign’s influence.
“The first six weeks of college is the period when freshmen have the highest likelihood of being raped, so we timed our campaign to raise awareness at the earliest point when college becomes a reality — the time when incoming freshmen receive their acceptance letters. The cover-ups are just as unacceptable as the attacks, and the campaign aims to hold these colleges accountable. We hope that people will take action through social media.”
For more information on the campaign, visit DontAcceptRape.com.
[via Dont Accept Rape]
Image via Youtube
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Cristina Montemayor
Cristina is a Grandex Writer and Content Manager. She was an intern for over two years before she graduated a semester early to write about college full time, which makes absolutely no sense. She regretfully considers herself a Carrie, but is first and foremost a Rory. She tends to draw strong reactions from people. They are occasionally positive. You can find her in a bar as you're bending down to tie your shoes, drinking Dos XX and drunk crying to Elton John. Email her: [email protected] (not .com).
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