As faculty members inwomen’s studies, we wouldlike to ask that everyone atDe Anza take a bit of timeto reflect on what happenedlast quarter with our baseballteam and do all we canto prevent something likethis from happening in thefuture.
While there is an ongoinginvestigation, and it istherefore premature to saywho was guilty, we do knowthat something very seriousand very terrible happenedon March 3. We know thatsome men had sex with anunderage girl as many othermen watched and cheeredthem on. The allegationsthat the sex was not consensualhave not been proven,but in any case the situationis deeply troubling.
No matter what: Ourhearts go out to the girl. Ifit was a case of rape, havingone’s will violated and one’sbody used sexually by forceis a traumatic experiencethat has life changing consequences.
And going forward withcharges of rape leave awoman extremely vulnerable.
Many people who havecommented on the situationhave found ways to blamethe victim. We heard peopleasking what the girl was doingat the party and why herparents let her be there. Avictim of sexual assault almostalways has her ownjudgment and ethical standardsquestioned. Womenoften describe a second”rape” they experience whengoing through the criminaljustice system, dealing withthe media, and with otherpeople’s opinions in a verypublic matter.
Any institution that defines masculinity as primarilylinked to aggression,muscularity and heterosexualconquest poses a gravedanger not only to women,but to the men themselves.Men who “break ranks” withthese narrowly defined versionsof masculinity do so atgreat risk of being shunnedor provoking outright hostility.
While many athleticteams do excellent workchallenging the culture ofsexism, and mob behaviorthat in the past have often been associated with teamsports, we are concerned thatour athletics department andour campus community canand should do more to bringabout gender equity.
We see some cause for optimismin this tragedy. Mostpowerfully: it as deeply impressivehow some members of ourwomen’s soccer team acted.
Their courage and compassiondeserve real recognition.Also, our campus community,from our athletics departmentall the way to our presidenthave taken this seriouslyand have not minimized thesituation, blamed the victim ortried to sweep what happenedunder the rug.
Here at De Anza College weneed to make sure we are doingall we can to train our maleathletes to respect women, tomaintain their ethical integrity,and see themselves as agents inmaking sure their teammatesact in ethical ways when theyare together.
