It can happen anywhere, any time. In Champaign it has happened 13 times since April and women at the University of Illinois are living in fear.

Police believe one man is responsible for the string of rapes near the campus. They have a suspect but do not have enough evidence to arrest him.

Obviously U of I has a very serious problem on its hands. But NIU, as well as the rest of society, faces the same challenges as well when it comes to rape and sexual assault.

In our society women have been led to believe that if they were raped, somehow they invited it themselves by the way they dressed, walked or whatever. In movies, books and on television, a woman saying “no” and fighting off a man is too often portrayed as sexual passion.

Slowly, ever so slowly these dangerous stereotypes are starting to be eliminated. But there is still a long way to go and many attitudes to change.

Men must realize that unless a woman says “yes” to sex, intercourse with that woman is rape. And despite what we see in movies, books and television, “no” does not mean “yes”. Women also must be more assertive on the issue, by not being afraid to report a rape and being firm when they say “no”.

Attitudes are slowly starting to change through education and awareness. Here at NIU the Sexual Assault Task Force has been given the job of educating the university community about rape and suggesting policies and programs to prevent it.

But the committee’s members can by no means do it alone. They need input and cooperation from the community they are trying to help. And they need more than what they have been receiving lately.