APO educates students about sexual assault
Zofia Kaminski
Issue date: 4/29/08 Section: News
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Of the speakers that evening, Shauna O'Sullivan gave the most moving address. O'Sullivan, a junior at the University of Dallas, had experienced sexual assault before coming to UD and felt that by sharing her story she could help raise greater awareness of the gravity of the issue. Those who heard her story admired her willingness to share her experience.
The first speaker at the event was John Grant, who used his time as a question and answer session for the university's stance on sexual assault. The University of Dallas holds the definition of sexual assault to be the same as the legal definition-any act of sexual penetration without the consent of one of the parties involved. According to Grant, this legal definition is the same as the definition the Catholic Church gives.
Sexual assault is a sin against chastity and justice and under no circumstances should one tolerate it. Any person proven to have done so at UD is subject to immediate expulsion. The influence of intoxicants does not diminish the accountability of the assailant in any situation.
The most sobering statistic was that there have been four reported instances at UD in the past four years. Grant warned young women to avoid any situation where they would be intoxicated and alone with someone of the opposite sex, even if the male claims that the woman can trust him. In each of the reported instances, the man admitted to telling the woman that she could trust him and that he would take care of her. Grant also cautioned men to avoid situations like that completely, since it could lead to mistakes for which they would be accountable. The audience learned that, while sexual assault does happen to men, mostly by other men, the overwhelming number instances are male to female.
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