“What were you wearing?”: Victimization of Sexual Assault Victims at Cal Poly

This paper will argue that Cal Poly and San Luis Obispo place greater blame and responsibility on women victims of sexual assault than their perpetrators. Sexual assault and sexual assault prevention methods in local media will be examined, as will three recent Title IX cases of Cal Poly students. Placing abundant blame and responsibility on the victims of sexual assault creates a culture of victimization, which discourages victims from reporting their sexual assaults. Although this paper does not offer up suggestions of how we can better Cal Poly’s approach to sexual assault, it hopes to spark a conversation about improving current methods and procedures for the sake of the mental and emotional well being of sexual assault victims