The epidemic of sexual assault on college campuses across the nation is a real and serious battle that is finally being discussed and confronted. It is both disappointing and embarrassing that colleges in the past decade have utilized every legal resource possible to silence the students who have been sexually assaulted for the protection of the school’s reputation.

There are actually 55 colleges currently being investigated by the Department of Education for the mishandling of sexual assault investigations, including Harvard, Florida State, Emory and Vanderbilt. The University of Alabama is not on that list, and I hope we never land on that list by continuing to be proactive, honest and mature enough to discuss sexual assault.

Perhaps the most prominent example of the University’s recent endeavors is the Rave Guardian app for phones, which can be used to contact guardians and police, allowing them to locate you within minutes via the GPS on your phone.

Technology can provide an important safety net and should be utilized, but it does not remove the responsibility from everyone on campus.

Sexual assault is not funny, it is not okay, it is not a joke, and it is not acceptable. End of discussion.

For those who think sexual assault is not a serious issue, think again. One in four college women and one in seven college men will experience sexual assault during their collegiate journey. This is a ?disturbing problem affecting all colleges and all students regardless of gender, the UA community included.

So let’s stay a step ahead of other colleges by raising awareness of the sexual assault epidemic, promptly reporting occurrences, utilizing the numerous campus resources and demanding the administration harshly punish perpetrators of sexual assault. Putting an end to sexual assault on this campus is not only the right thing to do, it’s the UA thing to do.

Patrick Crowley is the Opinions Editor for The Crimson White.