Robin’s reality
There are certain things that all women in this modern worldfear: breast cancer, being alone without a phone when your tireblows out, the unknown lurking in dark alleys and the sound I heardat 11:30 p.m. on Saturday. The sound of a phone ringing, and themeasured voice on the other end politely, quietly introducingherself as a nurse from Parkland Hospital.
I couldn’t help but think, “If it were me, who wouldbe the first person I would call?”
But out loud I simply said, “Oh God. Is sheokay?”
See, I am a feminist (don’t let the F—word scareyou, just keep reading). As such, I happen to know, as I hope allwomen at SMU know, that Parkland Hospital is the only hospital inDallas to administer rape testing 24—hours a day. So I knowthat when you get a call from Parkland late at night, there isreally only one reason for that call: someone you care about is inthe ER for all the wrong reasons.
This commentary is simply to let everyone know that SMU is not asafe school. SMU is a place where women are drugged and raped.
On one hand, the SMU police and the SMU administration do asmuch as they are able to limit this sort of inhumane act. On theother hand, their efforts are entirely in vain if the rest of usdon’t follow through. If the SMU student body remainsblissfully unaware of the stark reality of rape – if SMUwomen won’t even imagine what the cold, sterile examiningrooms at Parkland feel like – we passively condone rape.
Certainly, the rapist ought to shoulder a lot of theresponsibility for the event that took place outside FondrenLibrary Saturday night. But while sitting four and half hours inthe waiting room at the ER, I asked myself more than once: whatmakes a person even think that this is tolerable? That is, as weassign blame for crimes committed, we are obligated to mete out aportion for the community and the culture that allowed for theactivity in the first place.
We set an example for rapists when we throw parties that demeanor sexualize each other. We make these vicious actions seem normalwhen the leaders of our campus – yes, I’m talking aboutfraternities in particular – set the precedent for druggingdrinks and perpetrating acquaintance rape. And we are all to blamewhen we choose to hush our voice instead of crying out in fury andanguish when rape does occur. If future rapes are to be prevented,our attitudes toward and treatment of each other must change first.Both women and men must get righteously pissed off; we must actout; we must demand a higher standard.
Robin was – and IS – a beautiful woman. She is oneof the best friends I have at SMU. She deserves so much morerespect and dignity than what was shown to her. And if you arehorrified that I have used her name in writing about this‘sensitive issue’ – you have just reinforced theproblem. Neither Robin nor I will put up with shame or silence.
It’s 4 a.m., Sunday morning. The APOend—of—semester party has just ended; students findtheir ways to cars and head home. But I’m not one of theblissful party—goers. Instead, I’m in my own car,exhausted and distraught after four and half hours waiting to betold nothing definite. Robin is still at Parkland, just now gettingto the medical exam. I can only imagine how exhausted and hollowshe must have felt and still feels.
There is only one thing that I am certain of: at SMU rape is areality.
