COLLEGE FOOTBALL HAS A PRESEASON.
STUDENT SAFETY SHOULD HAVE ONE TOO
Every August, millions of students return to college campuses.
For many freshmen, it is their first time living away from home. Their first college party. Their first experience with unrestricted alcohol. Their first time navigating new friendships, new freedoms, and unfamiliar environments.
It should also be the first time someone tells them:
YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL HAS A PRESEASON.
STUDENT SAFETY SHOULD HAVE ONE TOO.
Before Students Return to Campus: Have the Conversation.
Every August, millions of students return to college campuses.
For many freshmen, it is their first time living away from home. Their first college party. Their first experience with unrestricted alcohol. Their first time navigating new friendships, new freedoms, and unfamiliar environments.
It should also be the first time someone tells them:
YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
College should be about friendships, discovery, laughter, independence, learning, and memories that last a lifetime.
It should never be about waking up wondering what happened.
It should never be about watching a friend become dangerously impaired and assuming someone else will help.
It should never be about leaving a sister, roommate, teammate, fraternity brother, or friend behind.
Sisters protect sisters.
Friends protect friends.
We protect each other.
More than half of college sexual assaults occur during August, September, October, or November.
The first six weeks of freshman year are also a particularly vulnerable period for harmful and underage drinking and alcohol-related consequences.
FIVE PROMISES WE CAN MAKE TO EACH OTHER
1. We Know What We're Drinking.
Watch your drink. Know what is in it. Don't leave it unattended. Don't accept an open drink from someone you don't trust. If a friend suddenly seems far more impaired than expected, take it seriously.
2. We Understand Consent.
Consent must be voluntary. Alcohol and drugs can impair or eliminate someone's ability to consent. Silence is not consent. A relationship is not consent. What happened yesterday is not consent for tonight.
3. We Arrive Together. We Leave Together.
Know who you came with. Check on one another. If someone is impaired, confused, frightened, or unable to make safe decisions, stay with them. Don't allow a vulnerable friend to disappear with someone you don't know.
4. We Speak Up.
If something doesn't feel right, trust that feeling. Interrupt. Ask a question. Create a distraction. Bring another friend over. Call for help. You don't have to know exactly what is happening to prevent something terrible from happening.
5. We Never Leave Someone Behind.
Not because she drank too much.
Not because he made a bad decision.
Not because someone is embarrassed.
Not because it's inconvenient.
We get each other home.
WHAT UNIVERSITIES REPORTED
My Daughter's Team analyzed the latest U.S. Department of Education Clery Act data for NCAA FBS universities.
The Top 5 — 2024 Reported Clery Sex Offenses
Utah — 229
Ohio State — 134
UCLA — 118
Colorado — 116
Virginia — 83
The Big Ten reported the largest raw conference total, with 944 incidents among the 18 schools included in the analysis.
These are reported incidents, not estimates of the true prevalence of sexual violence. Higher numbers may reflect more incidents, stronger reporting systems, greater willingness to report, or a combination.
A low reported number does not necessarily mean sexual violence is rare.
THIS IS NOT ABOUT FEAR.
It is about looking out for the people beside us.
A sorority sister.
A roommate.
A teammate.
A fraternity brother.
A classmate.
A friend we met tonight.
Sometimes protecting someone means asking, “Are you okay?”
Sometimes it means saying, “She's coming home with us.”
Sometimes it means standing beside someone who is afraid to report what happened.
Sometimes one person stepping forward changes everything.
BEFORE THE FIRST PARTY
Talk about it.
Know the plan.
Know who you're with.
Watch out for each other.
And make one promise:
WE DON'T LEAVE ANYONE BEHIND.
MY DAUGHTER'S TEAM
College Student Safety Preseason
Data: U.S. Department of Education, Campus Safety and Security Data Analysis Cutting Tool.
Safety Resources: RAINN • National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism • SAMHSA
My Daughter's Team is an independent advocacy initiative. Reported Clery statistics measure incidents reported under federal reporting requirements and should not be interpreted as a definitive measure of the prevalence of sexual violence at an individual university.