Sexual assault is any type of sexual contact or behavior that occurs without the explicit consent of the recipient. Sexual activities such as forced sexual intercourse, forced sodomy, child molestation, incest, fondling and sexual violence fall within the definition of sexual violence. In the United States, 80% of victims of sexual violence are under the age of 30. Of that 80%, 44% are under the age of 18 (RAINN, 2016). This leaves 36% of victims between the ages of 18 and 30. These percentages become even more alarming when you consider that that 80% includes approximately 293,000 victims of sexual assault each year (RAINN, 2016). It is estimated that 1 in 6 women in the United States have been or will be a victim of sexual violence in their lifetime. Risks of sexual violence increase on college campuses. Women aged 18-24 enrolled in college are 3 times more likely than women in general to experience sexual violence (RAINN, 2016). You would think that with all these women being sexually assaulted, we would hear about it more, or perhaps the police stations would be constantly busy. This is not the case. Sexual violence is one of the most under-reported crimes, with 68% still unreported (RAINN, 2016). This may be due to the fact that for every 100 rapists, only 2 will spend a day in prison. Of the 32 out of 100 who would be reported, only 7 refer to an arrest (RAINN, 2016). Why would men and women want to report sexual assault when the system that is supposed to protect them so often fails, and why does this system continue to fail? When it comes to sexual assault on college campuses there's also the question: What can colleges do? do to reduce the amount of sexual violence. Bradford Richardson and Jon A Shields wondered the same thing, so they conducted a...... half document...... and Dean rather than report to the police. A police report and trace takes time, and the rapist may still be walking around campus. But if you report the principal, there is a small private judicial process to at least get the rapist removed from your classes, if any. Perhaps this will make victims more aware that, although it may take longer and be more difficult, reporting to the police may be the best route. Then, hopefully, the rapist will end up in prison, making the victim feel safe. Perhaps this path will also make people more aware of sexual violence and how to stop it. In my research paper I want to continue to look at stories of sexual assault, its potential causes, more statistics, and what we can do to reduce the amount of sexual assault on college campuses. Hopefully, if anything substantial is found, this can be integrated into SIU policies.