Written by: Kenzie Kesselring, Asst. Opinions Editor

“No means no” sounds simple, right? However, when it comes to sexual assault within the millennial generation, it appears not to mean “no.” Sexual assault is a problem that has become more prevalent on college campuses across the United States, but our society’s solution to this problem is not working.

Millennial women are taught to not put themselves in positions where they could possibly be raped, but millennial men are not educated on the topic of rape nearly as much. This is a way our society has unintentionally promoted a culture that insists on restraining women instead of educating men.

The solution in the past to this problem has been to insist on women enduring seminars, self-defense classes, and lectures from adults in their life on how to keep themselves safe from rape. However millennial men do not have to sit through the same lectures on how they can stop the issue plaguing our generation. Clearly this solution is not working.

According to the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network, 80 percent of sexual assault victims are under the age of 30 and two-thirds of sexual violence crimes are committed between acquaintances. These statistics are alarming and should be to all millennials across the United States.

To begin fixing this problem, it is vital for our society to begin educating men on the definition and the repercussions of rape. The more millennial men are talked to about rape, the more it will be in the back of their minds when they interact with women in social or sexual settings.

Teamwork is the only way our generation can end sexual assault. Men and women must work together to educate each other on how to end this crime; but until our society stops placing the responsibility on one gender, rape on college campuses will continue to be a problem.