This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
For all the firestorm over BYU and the Honor Code as it relates to reporting rape, can we just pause for a moment and ask the "bigger" question?
If a change is made to the policy that provides "Honor Code exemption" for victims of rape, will actual rapes increase or decrease among university students?
We must acknowledge here that there is never an excuse for rape no matter what the environment. But certainly we can all agree that students abiding the Honor Code will be much less likely to find themselves in an environment that is conducive to rape.
I agree that providing an exemption for rape victims will increase the rapes reported. However, I also suggest that providing such an exemption will also lead to more rapes overall as students will have one less deterrent to placing themselves in risky situations.
So let's not throw out the baby with the bath water; give the university some credit. Maybe they need to adjust the mechanics of how these things are handled, but an exemption from the Honor Code is not the answer.
Is it worth increasing the number of rapes reported, even if the price is more rapes overall?
Jeff Bauserman
Abingdon, Va.