Last week, Wayne State College students were exposed to a dark reality.

Rape crimes on U.S. college campuses, their institutional cover-ups and the devastating toll they take on students and their families are undeniable truths that go unacknowledged too often.

In an effort to expose this truth and educate our students, Haven House, the counseling center and GEM sponsored two free showings of “The Hunting Ground” last week.

“It talks a lot about sexual assault and college campuses,” Josh Sievers, a prevention specialist from Haven House said. “Definitely a great film that will make an impact on those in attendance.”

And that it did.

Ramsey Theatre was full of students eager to learn on April 6 and 13. Among these students was freshman Shawntel Wacker.

“It really forced me to realize what goes on in college. It’s a sad reality, but if we continue to turn away from it, it stays a sad reality,” she said following the showing. “Giving students the opportunity to realize it gives us a chance to stop it. I’m glad I went and learned about this issue.”

“It was really eye opening,” freshman Sabrina Hochstein said. “I would recommend everyone, male and female, to watch it on Netflix if you couldn’t make it to the showing.”

“The Hunting Ground,” which is available on Netflix, was released in 2015. According to IMDB, the film’s tagline was “For one in five women, their dream school will become a nightmare.” The film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures for Diane Warren and Lady Gaga’s song “Til it Happens to You,” and the film grossed $406,000.

But this movie was about more than awards and money. The goal of this film was to shed light on the dark happenings on U.S. college campuses.

“The Hunting Ground” presents the cases of multiple students who have been sexually assaulted in college, and how their college administration helped handle (or lack thereof) the situation. The film implies that many college officials were more concerned with minimizing rape statistics for their universities than with the welfare of the students. Cases spanned from North Carolina to Notre Dame to Florida State and included both men and women.

According to producer Amy Ziering, the filmmakers “felt it was important to show men and women. For men it’s often harder to speak up because there is a social stigma associated with rape. Many male victims were feeling ashamed.”

All in all, “The Hunting Ground” is relevant across the country for all genders. It’s a scary reality.

For more information, or to reach out for personal help, contact the Counseling Center in the Kanter Student Center Room 103 or by phone at 402-375-7321. Or, you can contact Haven House on its 24-hour crisis line at 1-800-440-4633. For emergencies, call 911.