Date and Acquaintance Rape among a Sample of College Students

This article reports on a date and acquaintance rape needs-assessment survey of 106 male and 113 female students in undergraduate English courses at the University of Hawaii-Manoa. The sample was ethnically mixed, with Japanese being the largest ethnic group represented. Unduplicated counts showed that 28 percent (n = 32) of the women acknowledged that they were victims of rape or attempted rape, and the majority reported multiple victimizations. One-sixth (n = 18) of the men admitted to committing acts that meet the legal definition of sexual assault in Hawaii, and about one-third (29.2 percent, n = 31) admitted that they continue to make sexual advances even after a woman says no. Implications for date and acquaintance rape prevention programs are discussed.