Our country has experienced a revolution of sorts; now more than ever before, cases of sexual assault are being brought to the forefront of American society. Issues of misconduct have seeped their way into Hollywood, politics, and— perhaps less obviously— our schools.

Brett Kavanaugh, who was recently approved to serve as a justice on the U.S. Supreme Court, attended the prestigious Georgetown Preparatory School as well as Yale Law School. These two schools have much in common: they’re both elite, expensive institutions that breed privilege as well as a culture which can make students feel as though their status puts them above the law. Perhaps not coincidentaly, at both institutions, Brett Kavanaugh was accused of sexual assault and misconduct by multiple women.

Most notably, Dr. Christine Ford testified to the Senate and recounted her experience in front of politicians and America. Regardless of whether you believe Dr. Ford’s testimony, one thing remains clear: sexual assault and the culture that accompanies it is alive and well within elite schools. Yale News reports that Ivy League schools were found to have higher rates of sexual assault than the average college or university. Paulina Bahary, a senior at Cornell, stated, “I see manifestations of rape culture almost every day in my school community. This isn’t specific to solely Cornell, but present in every privileged, ‘elite’ institution that I have attended [Fieldston and Emory]. Slut shaming, victim blaming, cohesion, and a misunderstanding of consent and the word ‘no’ is commonplace. I think that among white, wealthy men in particular, there is a common, overarching feeling of being entitled, untouchable, and of more importance and value than subordinate  groups.”

On a similar note, the University of Southern California, one of the most prestigious colleges in the country, made headlines when a school gynecologist was accused by over 100 women of sexual assault during his thirty year career at the university. His long career was not a product of a lack of complaints by his victims, but rather USC’s blatant disregard for the victims’ accusations. A comparable case occurred at Stanford when Brock Turner, a student and valued member of the swim team, was convicted of assaulting an unconscious woman and was given a mere six month jail sentence, which many felt was inadequet.  

Transparency and education surrounding sexual assault contribute to its prevalence. Elite institutions want to have spotless reputations; discussing these issues as directly impacting their school community mars the institution’s facade. highschool Junior Imani Camara stated, “The failure to educate teens and openly talk about these issues makes getting away with assault easier. Change begins and ends with education.”

High school and college students are most threatened by this epidemic: the National Center for Victims of Crime reports that 80% of rape victims experienced their first rape before the age of 25, and 42% before the age of 18. If our students are most at risk, why they have some of the most prestigious schools in the country fallen short in addressing the problem? highschool Junior Jacyn Daniels stated, “Elite schools often consider if the family of the perpetrator donates money to the school. If that is the case, they look past the morality of the situation and sweep it under the rug.” Senior Xander Luke-Mallett agreed, stating, “Although rape culture is perpetuated through all socioeconomic strata, it is definitely more prevalent amongst the elite.”

In a highly publicized recent case at Columbia University, a male student whose parent served on the Board of Trustees was allowed to remain enrolled and graduate despite credible accusations of sexual assult by multiple female students. Although parental donation may play the most significant role in fostering rape culture within a school itself, if the case is brought to court, the judicial system contributes in skewing the outcome at the state level. Cornell senior Paulina Bahary, who worked at the New York District Attorney’s office in the domestic violence precinct, explained, “I was glad to see that the law is interpreted and applied in the same way for all perpetrators, regardless of race and background. I met over 50 prosecutors, and I can say with certainty that none of them would pursue a case a certain way based on a defendant’s identifiers. Regardless, there are other functioning systems at play. The most prevalent manifestation of inequality is the extent to which money affects your relationship with the criminal justice system. This isn’t because you will be favored by prosecutors because you have money, but rather, because you have access to more expensive, competent attorneys who will do a better job of representing you at trial (which could lead to less charges and lower sentencing), or get you a deal with the DA that a defendant with less resources would have no idea even existed.”

In order to dismantle the systems which contribute to the problematic wealth disparity in the justice system, we need leaders who will care enough to do so. Leaders who have benefited from these systems themselves may not be as inclined to break them down. Once allegations agaisnt Kavanuagh were made public, defenses rolled in quickly, characterizing each event (if it happened), as a stupid, childish mistake. All too often people dismiss this kind of behavior as “boys being boys.” This concept suggests the behavior is innocent and insignificant. Highschool Junior Wes Hauser stated, “We have to do better as a community. Not just at Columbia Prep but at institutions like these in general. If we’re not aware of the issue and actively trying to fix it, behavior like this will continue.”