A commentary published Sept. 8 in the Chicago Tribune by Jens Ludwig, the Pritzker director of the University of Chicago Crime Lab and an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine, highlights the alarming prevalence of campus sexual assault and advocates for using data-driven strategies.
Shockingly, as parents prepare to send their children off to college, there’s one statistic many parents of college-bound- or college-attending daughters don’t realize. There’s a 1 in 3 chance she will be sexually assaulted by the time she graduates. Yet, despite the gravity of the issue, there is hope—and surprisingly, some of the best solutions come from an unexpected source: lessons learned from tackling street crime.
When Ludwig, an Edwin A. and Betty L. Bergman distinguished service professor at the University of Chicago, first encountered the 1-in-3 statistic, he didn’t fully grasp the severity it implied. Nearly half of these incidents are rape, while the rest involve force, coercion, and other violations that stop just short of rape. The psychological toll on survivors is profound, with one-third of them considering suicide. This is not the transformative college experience parents envision for their daughters.
Despite the widespread nature of this problem, it remains largely ignored in discussions about higher education, even though it affects some of the most prestigious institutions. It can feel overwhelming, even insurmountable, much like the surge in street crime during the crack cocaine epidemic of the 1990s. But if we can look to history, there’s reason for hope, proposes Ludwig, who also serves on the Committee on Law and Justice of the National Academy of Sciences. In the three decades since the crime peak, homicide rates in the U.S. have fallen by 40%. Ludwig poses the question, “How did we do it, and what can we learn for addressing campus sexual assault?”
Three key lessons stand out, argues Ludwig.
Lesson 1: Look to Exemplars
During the street crime crisis, cities like Los Angeles and New York became models of success by pioneering data-driven policing and investing in community intervention efforts. Their methods were studied and replicated across the nation.
In the context of campus sexual assault, schools like Rice University stand out as examples of proactive change. One notable move by Rice was banning fraternities, and data suggests that this decision made an impact. Schools without fraternities tend to have lower rates of sexual assault. Furthermore, studies show that men who join fraternities are three times more likely to commit sexual assault than their peers. This suggests that fraternity culture may play a role in fostering harmful behavior, rather than simply attracting individuals predisposed to it.
Lesson 2: Focus on What Works
In fighting street crime, success came from relying on data and implementing strategies that worked rather than sticking with the status quo. Unfortunately, many universities today run training programs on sexual assault prevention with no evidence of their effectiveness. Meanwhile, evidence-based programs are underutilized.
One proven program is Enhanced Assess, Acknowledge, Act (EAAA), a 12-hour training focusing on recognizing risk factors, overcoming emotional barriers to self-protection, and practical strategies for escaping dangerous situations. A randomized controlled trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine found the program cut sexual assaults in half. “So why aren’t more schools adopting this model?” Ludwig asks.
Lesson 3: Think Outside the Box
In the fight against street crime, some strategies initially seemed unorthodox but yielded results. In Chicago, for example, authorities couldn’t possibly police every gang member in the city. Instead, they adopted a “focused deterrence” approach, concentrating their efforts on the most violent gangs. The goal was to shift the internal culture of these gangs away from violence. The results speak for themselves: crime dropped.
If fraternities are, in some ways, the campus equivalent of street gangs—powerful, hard to disband, and often linked to risky behaviors—why not apply a similar strategy? Universities could adopt a focused deterrence approach by issuing a clear warning: If a fraternity is even remotely connected to a sexual assault, whether through the presence of alcohol or the location of the party, that house will face heightened scrutiny. Police presence at their future parties will be routine, and any violation, no matter how small, will result in swift enforcement.
For years, many believed that high crime rates and gun violence were simply inevitable. But with data-driven approaches and creative thinking, we proved that notion wrong. Now, we must do the same with campus sexual assault. It’s time to tackle this crisis with the seriousness and innovation it demands and, in doing so, create a safer, healthier environment for all students.
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