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Editor:
Merriam Webster defines rape as "forced sexual violation of a woman." Rape is considered by the U.S. government as one of the most serious crimes that a human can commit, second only to murder. In some circumstances, it is punishable by death or life imprisonment.
If convicted of a sexual offense, the rapist faces much more than a prison term. He loses voting and handgun rights, and he must inform the neighbors that he is a sex offender every time he moves into a neighborhood. These are serious consequences.
Do not get me wrong. I have no sympathy for an evil creature who would commit such a vile act. I am, however, very sympathetic of those men who are falsely accused of rape. And don't think it doesn't happen. Let me set up a hypothetical situation for example:
A girl goes to a party where she has way too much to drink. She meets a guy and goes back to his room. They kiss for awhile, and in not time at all, one thing leads to another and they are engaged in sexual intercourse. When she wakes up in the morning after the alcohol wears off, her morality sets back in and she files a rape charge.
Sound unlikely? This isn't just a hypothetical situation. It happened here on the UA campus two years ago. Except she never had any morality. She filed a rape charge on a good friend of mine and took him to court.
She called and left malicious messages (which he recorded), and her roommate even came forth to profess that the "victim" was lying. Eventually, the whole case was dropped, but not before my friend's reputation was dragged through the mud and his family lost over $25,000 in attorney's fees.
She went on with her life as if nothing ever happened, and he had to try to carefully rebuild his. He had no rights at all. Nothing could stop it. The case steamrolled him and nearly wrecked his life. It's a good thing it didn't.
No one deserves to be raped. So, as we head into another scholastic year, be careful. I know you have heard it before. Now you are in college. You are smart enough to know not to put yourself in a STUPID situation. If you go partying in an unfamiliar setting, stay sober enough to get home. It just may save your life ... and his, too!
Lance Hill
civil engineering senior
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