Bill Cosby is a household name. Almost everyone that’s old enough to be remotely interested in the news has watched or heard of The Cosby Show, and many enjoyed his stand-up comedy for years.

Cosby was often referred to as ‘America’s Dad.’ So what happens when this pseudo father is accused of assaulting this country’s women?

In November, Cnn reported that Bill Cosby has been accused of drugging and assaulting over 20 women, some cases being claimed to have happened as long ago as the 1960s. The victims are no longer silent; they seem to be getting their stories out to as many news outlets as they can.

Without a trial set or even hoped to occur in the near future, the women presenting their stories are getting a variety of responses. A Bob Jones graduate, Ingrid Hickey, said, “It upsets me that so many people think that all of these women are lying for money/attention,” while Junior, Holly Romak, took a very neutral stance and decided, “You can’t jump to conclusions.”

With these allegations being brought to the public eye, Cosby canceled a line of his stand-up comedy shows- until this past Wednesday, when he took to the stage again.

To no surprise, there were claimed outbursts shouted during his show, but nothing was more surprising than Cosby’s own comment. As a woman got up to get a drink of water, Cosby is reported by the Huffington Post to have told the woman, “You have to be careful about drinking around me.”

When Cosby joked about the rumors about himself, it said a lot about how our culture perceives sexual assault and its seriousness. A teacher at Bob Jones, Mrs. Mickey Worley, had a strong opinion on the subject. “We live in a country where an alleged rapist is allowed to keep his quarterback position on a college football team, while the alleged victim is closely scrutinized.”

According to a survey done by the New York Times:

-One in every five women surveyed had experienced rape or attempted rape

-One in six women had been stalked

-One in four had been beaten by an intimate partner

One in five is a shocking number; that means in an average sized class at Bob Jones there could be 5 girls in that class that have been or are going to be sexually assaulted. With being a large issue affecting a huge percentage of our society, it’s surprising that its gossip lays dormant for so long, until an issue like the Cosby rumors come about.

It’s not an easy thing to talk about, or an easy problem to solve. “It’s a hard thing to combat,” said senior Jett Ryan. It’s not a comfortable thing to bring up, especially for the victim. Many authority figures on the subject even refused to be quoted for legal and moral issues.

“The allegations against Mr. Cosby… are just the latest in this type of behavior,” said Mrs. Worley. “Women are reluctant to come forward because, in many cases, they are treated as criminals.”

This fear keeps many women from not reporting their abuse. According to the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN), about 68% of sexual assault cases will never be reported to the police, and 98% of rapists will never face jail time.

“The victim blaming surrounding this entire case disgusts me,” said Ingrid. “It’s absolutely awful to feel like you have no one to turn to with this kind of stuff.”

Facing the strong possibility of being socially ostracized with a very small chance their abuser will face time, it’s hard to encourage victims to report their case and seek the help they need. As Holly Romak said, “Girls that are assaulted already feel vulnerable, so why would they want to tell anyone?”

While society puts these pressures on the victims, they’re also creating even more misconception on what is appropriate behavior. “Young people are bombarded with mixed messages in the media that adds to this confusion,” said Mrs. Worley.

Preventing sexual assault starts with informing people of the issue and changing the mind set of the public. “The best thing to do when someone comes out about this is stick to them,” said Ingrid.

It’s important that proper behavior is taught from a young age. “Young people need to be able to recognize what is and is not appropriate behavior when it comes to sexual assault,” said Mrs. Worley. “How to do that is a delicate matter though.”

One thing is clear- the social norm for this behavior needs to change. Even a dog can be taught to resist something when their owner tells them no.

If anyone at Bob Jones needs someone to talk to, the student resource officers are who to go to.

For anyone in need:

National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-HOPE