Content warning: The following story contains references to violence and sexual assault.
The shock and pain of being sexually assaulted — often by someone familiar, typically in a social setting and likely a complete surprise — is a gut-wrenching violation. And students and statistics say it’s too common at USC.
One student group, Survivor Support Community at USC (SSC), is working to create a safe space for survivors — for healing, safety, community and to speak out against rape culture on campus.
Rape culture is defined as an environment where sexual abuse and violence is normalized and downplayed. At USC, an estimated one in three undergraduate women experience sexual violence, according to a 2019 survey by the Association of American Universities. This surpasses the national estimate of one in four women. Many students who are violated do not speak out. If they do, they typically experience huge obstacles in reporting, and the perpetrators face few consequences.
“Oftentimes, they’re not suspended, expelled, none of that. They’re still here,” said Linda Gist, a junior studying law, history and culture and vice president of SSC. “So now, not only are they walking around, but [survivors] have to see them, [survivors] have to have classes with them. And if [survivors] say anything to the professor, there’s no paper trail to back [them] up.”
Every Thursday evening, the group meets to foster a safe space for healing and community. They meet from 7 to 8 p.m. at the University Religious Center and host activities such as art-making, yoga and meditation. Most recently, they ran a workshop on healing and catharsis through sound.
The themes of the weekly meetings are posted on their Instagram page. Sometimes there’s discussion and group processing, sometimes it’s just a relaxed gathering and about doing activities together. People of all genders are welcome.
“The resilience of survivors is incredible,” said Sammie Sorsby-Jones, a senior studying law, history and culture and co-founder of the group. “People don’t talk enough about how [being assaulted] affects your academics. College is already really hard, and we’re trying to figure out our careers. And then imagine that you’re sexually assaulted right as you’re figuring out your career, especially when it’s usually younger women in college who are the most affected.”
Younger students, usually women, can be targets for perpetrators, particularly at the start of the year. Violence prevention researchers and advocates refer to it as the “Red Zone.” It’s the time period between orientation and Thanksgiving break, when an estimated 50 percent of sexual assaults occur, when students are acclimating to campus life.
“Stories I’ve heard, it’s like their first or second weekend at USC, they’ve just moved to a whole new state, maybe from across the country. They’re in L.A., and then they’re sexually assaulted,” Sorsby-Jones said. “It’s like, oh my god they just got here! Like, how is anyone supposed to get through that? But people do. And it’s incredible.”
The Survivor Support Community aims to provide a space for healing and support — whether an assault has just occurred or in years past — and works to counter isolation and loneliness.
“That’s something that we hear people say, ‘You’re not alone.’ But I think at SSC, that’s something that you feel. You see it and you feel it,” said Grace Miedziak, a senior studying music composition and the group’s president. “Because everybody that I’ve talked to as a survivor feels isolated in one way or another. So I think that that is one of the most critical parts of this whole thing.”
Founding the Survivor Support Community
Sorsby-Jones founded the Survivor Support Community group with her best friend Yi-Ann Li as a sophomore in the spring semester of 2022. She was still processing the trauma of being assaulted in high school and wanted to connect with other survivors on campus for community and empowerment.
“I remember scouring the EngageSC page looking for clubs that were exactly what I wanted SSC to be, and I couldn’t find anything,” she said. “So I was like, okay, well guess I’m just gonna have to start it myself.”
Now in its second year, the group has grown. They’ve organized healing and advocacy events such as Denim Day, demonstrated in protests to combat victim blaming and raise awareness around sexual violence, created a list of demands to increase safety and prevent sexual violence, assisted survivors in accessing resources, reporting and campus investigations like the Title IX process, and most importantly, make sure people feel supported and not alone.
Rape culture at USC
The incidents of sexual violence at USC are anecdotally well-known, though highly underreported.
Since August 15, the USC Department of Public Safety (DPS) responded to 20 reported incidents of rape, sexual battery or assault on or near campus, according to the DPS Crime Analysis and Intelligence Unit as of November 21, 2023. These records are posted publicly on the daily crime and fire log. But statistically the true number is much higher.
In 2023, there were four reports of drugging or “roofying” to DPS — in February, March (reported to have occurred in November 2022), July (reported to have occurred in December 2022) and in August 2023.
“Roofying,” or date rape drugging, can cause people who have had only one or two drinks to feel completely inebriated, with memory lapses, nausea, headaches and pain. The types of drugs a perpetrator uses to incapacitate a victim can vary widely. Commonly known date rape drugs are GHB or Rohypnol, which are tasteless and odorless. They act as a sedative to suppress the nervous system — especially when mixed with alcohol — and can include muscle relaxants, sleeping aids and anesthetics like ketamine.
“I know some people who …went out to parties [over Halloweekend], and they were roofied,” said Gist, the vice president. “And they were like, ‘Oh, that happens, I’m fine. I was safe, I had help.’ But that’s very sad. To be, first of all, in that situation and then second of all, to be like, ‘Oh, it’s a holiday season. This happens around this time.’”
“The number of friends that I know who’ve been roofied is insane,” Sorsby-Jones added. “I think with the language that we use around sexual assault as a community, it’s like we forget about the perpetrator. And we forget how intentional it is.”
Predatory behavior can look like anything from unwanted advances or touching behavior, to intimidation and coercion, to drugging and sexual assault. According to RAINN, the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, nearly 40 percent of sexual violence incidents are committed by an acquaintance, and one third committed by a current or former partner or spouse.
USC’s Department of Public Safety is required to report each incident to the Los Angeles Police Department. “Whenever DPS is notified of a sexual assault, we must immediately report it to them, and they assume the investigation,” said DPS Assistant Chief David Carlisle. “The victim of a sexual assault is not required to speak with the LAPD if they choose not to. However, we by agreement, called the Memorandum of Understanding, must involve the LAPD. So we do keep statistics on the number of sexual assaults reported to us.”
None of the reported incidents of drugging or sexual assault this year occurred at fraternities, according to Carlisle.
Annenberg Media made a public records request to LAPD for the number of reported incidents of drugging and sexual assault on campus and surrounding area. The LAPD has not yet responded.
But students say the majority of incidents of drugging and sexual assault go unreported. And, the SSC group says those attitudes are also seen in the culture around sex and dating at USC.
“Rape is not an aberrant act. It is a direct extension of the patriarchy that already exists within our community. It is the most violent extension, but it’s still a part of it,” Sorsby-Jones said.
“And normalization,” Miedziek added. “It’s almost become like a normal thing for people to see those statistics.”
The office of USC President Carol Folt declined an interview for this story but provided statements emphasizing the need for students to report incidents of sexual assault, and providing support and resources to do so. “USC recognizes that sexual assaults are often underreported, both at the university and historically across the nation…We are working hard to identify and remove anything that can be perceived as a barrier to reporting, and to ensure that students have a wealth of resources available in an effort to support students and encourage increased reporting.”
Rape and sexual violence are pervasive in a culture of sexism, where men try to assert power over others through negative stereotypes, sexual competition, derogatory attitudes and enforcement through violence. While women are disproportionately harmed by sexual violence, there are men and vastly underrepresented populations of the LGBTQ+ community who are assault survivors as well.
Sexual assault includes any unwanted touching, coercion or forcing sexual acts, where ongoing consent is not given.
“Something that a lot of people aren’t aware of is that with rape culture, and rape in general, it’s more than just a lack of listening to the word ‘No,’” said Gist. “I think people forget that it comes in a lot of different forms: it’s not being enthusiastic, it’s the fact that you didn’t say yes. It’s [that] you’re inebriated, and you were not sober enough to actually consent. I think people don’t realize that there’s so much that goes into it.”
They discuss how men need to take a more active role in preventing predatory behavior and sexual violence. In conversations with men about these issues on campus, SCC members say that often the response is defensive.
“I’m not accusing you, I’m just making you aware of what’s going on and trying to really bring you into the conversation to prevent these things,” Gist said, reflecting on her conversations with men. “You’re saying it’s not you. That’s fantastic. But it can’t just not be you. It can’t be your friends. It can’t be people you associate with. It’s not enough to just not be doing these things, you have to be going further. Be a part of the conversation, actively play a part.”
Fraternity scandal and disaffiliation
SSC was founded in the wake of the Sigma Nu fraternity scandal in September 2021, which broke the silence on pervasive drugging and sexual violence at USC fraternity parties and drew national media attention and criticism.
From September to October that year, the USC Department of Public Safety received at least 13 reports of drugging and nine reports of sexual assault at fraternities. After weeks of student-led protests, the USC administration admitted there was a “troubling delay” in reporting the assaults. Admin later suspended five fraternities, citing a public safety hazard. Those fraternities were Chi Phi, Delta Tau Delta, Kappa Sigma, Phi Kappa Tau and Sigma Nu.
In August of 2022, eight more fraternities joined the original five and disaffiliated from USC -- Beta Theta Pi, Kappa Alpha Order, Lambda Chi Alpha, Pi Kappa Alpha, Sigma Alpha Mu, Sigma Chi, Tau Kappa Epsilon and Zeta Beta Tau. Collectively, they formed their own coalition, the University Park Interfraternity Council. Two more joined later, Phi Delta Theta and Phi Sigma Kappa. Currently, 15 fraternities have ended their formal relationship with USC. The University Park Interfraternity Council member fraternities are recognized and supported by their respective national chapters, as well as the National American Interfraternity Conference. At USC, the fraternities manage their own safety protocols, prevention education and guidelines, according to an email the group sent to Annenberg Media
“When I started SSC, it did feel easier to talk about sexual assault as a campus community, because that is what everyone had been doing that fall of 2021,” Sorsby-Jones said. “Because there was a certain amount of assaults that triggered the Clery Act, and the university had to send out an alert about it. And so when that alert was sent out, people couldn’t ignore it anymore.”
The Clery Act is a consumer protection law that requires colleges and universities that receive federal funding share certain crime incidents in a publically available log, notify of ongoing threats, and campus policies to protect safety. Sexual assault is one of those crimes. Academic institutions are required to enter the crimes into the log within two business days of receiving a report the incident occurred.
While the Sigma Nu fraternity scandal and disaffiliation ignited serious campus attention, Sorsby-Jones says the outcry did not change the common occurrences of drugging and sexual assault, especially at fraternity parties.
“The next Sigma Nu has already happened, it is happening,” she said. “There was nothing particularly special about that fraternity or those instances of sexual assault. It’s just that people found out about it. And so it’s really hard to see the campus go back to apathy, when like, I know that things are still happening.”
In a statement, the office of USC President Carol Folt said they are committed to working with students and student groups, providing ongoing training and support for the reporting process.
“We regularly communicate with the University Park Interfraternity Council advisor about the importance of holding trainings, although we are unable to require unaffiliated groups, including disaffiliated fraternities, to engage in mandatory trainings. We encourage community members to raise their concerns with the University Park IFC as well as to hold them accountable on this important topic,” the university statement said, in response to questions from Annenberg Media about this story. All USC students also are required to complete modules on sexual assault prevention, Folt’s office noted. In addition, there were more than 100 prevention education trainings and presentations for more than 5,100 students in the last academic year.
“We hold students and affiliated student groups accountable through investigative and disciplinary processes explained in the USC Student Handbook and policies managed by the Office for Equity, Equal Opportunity, and Title IX,” the statement read. “Individual student members of both affiliated and unaffiliated groups can and will be held accountable for policy violations but we are not able to hold unaffiliated groups accountable under these processes.”
The disaffiliated fraternities, now part of the student-led University Park Interfraternity Council (UPIFC) did not grant requests for an interview, but they did respond to questions via email.
Charlie Neuenschwander, vice president of health and wellness for UPIFC, said the council works to promote the safety of their member community and guests and “ensure members are educated and informed.” He said they have partnered with Real Talk, an organization which provides education on sexual violence prevention.
“Each chapter has had a workshop educating their members on what sexual assault looks like, how to prevent it, and how to keep their peers accountable,” he said.
Neuenschwander said UPIFC has not had any formal or informal reports of drugging or roofying incidents this semester from law enforcement or USC.
“If we did, those would have been referred to USC Community Expectations or LAPD for investigation, as UPIFC does not adjudicate individual allegations of sexual violence,” Neuenschwander said. “If they have such reports of drugging or sexual violence, they should immediately report to the proper authorities.”
Sorsby-Jones made a point to say SCC is not anti-Greek and they have members who are active in Greek life. However, “the incidences of survivorship are higher in Greek life,” she said. Researchers have found among undergraduates, sorority women are 74% more likely to experience rape.
“Now that [many fraternities have] disaffiliated, you can only hold a person accountable, which we already know often does not work out,” Gist said. “So by holding the institution [fraternities] as a whole accountable, it’s more recognition for survivorship.”
Breaking the silence, again
Sorsby-Jones said that time period broke the silence for survivors, who were able to talk about where, when and how they were assaulted. She’s concerned that this semester more and more students have been absorbed back into the party culture and are less willing to talk about such predatory behavior.
“When that was more public, people were more willing to talk about their experiences,” she said. “I remember people being like, ‘Oh, I was roofied at that frat, and that frat, and that frat,’ and it became this campus awakening. And to see that fade away, again, has been really sad.”
Sorsby-Jones explains that, though the official university protocol is to report acts of violence, many survivors don’t feel safe doing so, for fears of the reporting process, and facing social retaliation or isolation.
“And so not only have you been assaulted and violated, but you’re also losing your social support system,” she said. “And that is literally the worst possible thing that could happen. And so I think that’s where a lot of the silence comes from, is that fear of social pushback, or victim blaming.”
Reporting and support services
One tool for survivors who may be confronted with pushback is an encrypted online reporting database, provided by the non-profit Callisto. It allows survivors to document their experience, creating a time-stamped record of their assault in case they do decide to report.
Ninety percent of campus assaults are committed by serial offenders, according to Callisto’s website. They offer a matching tool where survivors can enter unique identifiers of their perpetrator, to help identify a serial offender. If two or more people from any college enter the same identifiers, the matched survivors receive free and confidential legal options counseling with a third-party attorney to help facilitate coordinated action.
Students can also opt to report sexual assault to USC in two categories: anonymous or private. Here is a detailed guide for survivors to report an assault, and to access resources including a 24/7 Confidential Advocates hotline, Counseling and Mental Health, Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention and Services and the Office of the Ombuds.
The Confidential Advocates program offers 24/7 services through the Student Health Center. An advocate will accompany a survivor or arrange transportation to receive medical care, including a rape exam. They can arrange for aftercare services including reporting, counseling and campus accommodations.
Survivors can opt to file a report under Title IX, which legally requires college campuses to ensure that someone who experiences sexual violence or sex-based discrimination is given access to support services. At USC, resources can include housing or parking accommodations, a Mutual Avoidance of Contact directive, academic accommodations and potential sanctioning if the accused party is found guilty. Perpetrators can be sanctioned with a warning, expulsion or termination of employment. The Trump Administration weakened Title IX in 2020 by narrowing the definition of misconduct required for universities to investigate, thereby making it more difficult for survivors and advocates to bring cases, universities investigate and hold perpetrators accountable. The Biden Administration’s expected updated Title IX guidelines have missed their deadline for release twice, first in May and again in October.
Folt’s office submitted a lengthy statement to Annenberg Media reiterating the resources available to students and noting that recovery and reporting in the aftermath of a sexual assault “are incredibly difficult processes for those impacted.”
“Because it takes significant and sustained emotional work for a survivor to process what occurred and evaluate options for resources and reporting, including potentially pursuing justice through campus offices or law enforcement, we understand why many survivors delay in reporting or choose not to report,” the statement read. “It is our sincere hope that by increasing access to supportive measures and confidential resources, listening to survivors, and making the process of reporting as trauma-informed as possible, we will be able to create the space for this issue to be in the public light, and over time, the culture will shift to one where sexual respect and consent is the unquestioned norm.”
Folt’s office shared the myriad ways students can get support, and an anonymous feedback form about the EEO-TIX process.
“Our hope is that systemic supports for survivors will provide encouragement — to heal, find resiliency and strength, and inform their choices — and this might also embolden more survivors to report so that full investigations can take place and perpetrators can be stopped and held accountable for their actions.”
The SSC group supports members who do decide to report through the process. They said while the USC administration has made positive strides in making reporting perpetrators more accessible, it still takes months to years to complete the reporting process.
“It’s a hell of an ordeal,” Sorsby-Jones said. “And I don’t think that anyone should have to face that alone.”
SSC support open to everyone
In the wake of a recent report of a USC student sexually assaulted by a Lyft driver on Halloween, members of SSC emphasized the group is there to support survivors for any type of incident, at any time.
“Not only do some survivors face social isolation and ostracization from, maybe someone in their friend group was a perpetrator or something like that, but also emotional ostracization,” Miedziak said. “A lot of people go through really difficult times with their mental health. It’s such a stigmatized topic, it’s difficult to talk about. And so having a space such as a survivor support community on campus, is so critical in helping let survivors know that they’re not alone, and they truly aren’t.”
Friends and allies are also welcome to join SSC meetings, to gather information and resources for supporting survivors of assault, and navigating those difficult gray areas.
“We will specify when a meeting is going to be about a heavy topic. But for the most part, we really just welcome people to come and take a load off,” said Gist. “Like to have an hour of peace, when you may be struggling the other 20 or 23 hours of the day is so comforting. It’s an outlet, which is so nice.”
“Just come. You don’t have to tell your story. If you’re really uncomfortable, you don’t even have to say your name. But just come,” said Sorsby-Jones. “It takes a lot of bravery to come, like it’s a hard thing to do. But I’ve never once regretted going to a meeting.”
If you are in need of support, here are some further resources:
Here is a survivor’s guide to reporting sexual assault at USC.
USC Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention and Services: Located at Engemann Student Health Center Suite 356. Individuals can call (213)-740-9355 and request to speak with an advocate or counselor. Services are confidential.
Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN): A free, confidential hotline that is active 24/7. Individuals can call (800)-656-4673.