Showing of ‘Hunting Ground’ documentary hosted by C.A.R.E.S.

The screening was hosted by C.A.R.E.S. to raise awareness about sexual assault and the trauma victims face after the incident. Photo by GABRIELLA ANDERSON, Staff Photographer

“The Hunting Ground,” a documentary about sexual assault on college campuses and the way cases are handled, was shown Oct. 16. The screening was hosted by Creating a Rape Free Environment for Students (C.A.R.E.S.) to raise awareness about sexual assault. 

“‘The Hunting Ground’ is important because it shows that one of the misconceptions people have is, ‘Oh, just get over it; it happened,’ but ‘The Hunting Ground’ demonstrates the long-term consequences of this traumatic incident,” said Dani Smith, C.A.R.E.S. coordinator and Chapman’s rape crisis counselor. 

“The Hunting Ground” documentary was released in 2015 and has been shown at Chapman multiple times since then, according to Smith. The documentary focuses on sexual assault and two women’s fight for change in how college campus treat cases of sexual harassment. The film was met with controversial backlash, as fraternity Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) was featured heavily. Six members of Chapman SAE chapter were present at the screening. The chapter’s president, Brennen Ramos, did not respond to requests for comment in time for publication. 

There have been a total of three screenings this month — two of them on Oct. 2 for new fraternity members and one Oct. 16. Smith also hosted a C.A.R.E.S. education presentation for new members of Pi Kappa Alpha. Smith hopes students remember they can make a commitment and change to not hurt others. 

“Students can make a difference by being active bystanders and saying, ‘That is really inappropriate,’” Smith said. 

“So many survivors come forward and say that my rape was bad, but the way I was treated afterwards was worst,” was a quote from Annie Clark, one of the main women the film focuses on. Clark was raped at University of North Carolina. 

The documentary not only shows how women have handled their assaults, but it also reveals the process of going through Title IX, which prohibits discrimination based on sex in schools that receive federal funds. 

Christina Deierling, a graduate student in the Leadership Development Master’s program, was involved in C.AR.E.S. as an undergraduate and attended the screening. 

“We think we are better at handling it than the other universities. We are not better,” Deierling said. “Title IX is very inefficient and really hard to go through. It is lengthy and students have to talk about their experience over and over again. 

The documentary highlights two demographics, fraternity men and athletes, on college campuses that have committed sexual assault. 

Over 23 percent of females and over five percent of males will experience rape or sexual assault during their undergraduate years, according to Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN). 

A reason for sexual assault being more common among these two factions is groupthink, Smith said. 

Smith is “more than happy” to do another showing of the documentary, whether it’s for fraternity men or any other group on campus as part of her commitment to changing the culture. 

The next C.AR.E.S. event is the Clothesline Project Oct. 30.