--- title: Acceptance Letters Ad Sheds Light on Campus Sexual Assault description: A new ad is creating awareness for sexual assault on campus by putting a dark spin on the moment teens find out they got into college. canonical: https://time.com/4300008/college-acceptance-letter-ad-campus-sexual-assault/ author: Megan McCluskey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-04-19T22:20:39.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:31:42.113Z og:title: This Ad Uses College Acceptance Letters to Shed Light on Campus Sexual Assault og:description: "If they accept you, don’t accept this" og:url: https://time.com/4300008/college-acceptance-letter-ad-campus-sexual-assault/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: This Ad Uses College Acceptance Letters to Shed Light on Campus Sexual Assault twitter:description: "If they accept you, don’t accept this" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # This Ad Uses College Acceptance Letters to Shed Light on Campus Sexual Assault > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=fad22c9e-84fc-4492-a13d-8189cb4423dc&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Daily | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Richard Hall, Editor | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The informed consumer. A scaled audience of readers who turn to TIME to stay informed and make sense of the world, with meaningful reach across education and research, nonprofits and civic life, media and communications, government and public institutions, and business and professional services. ### TIME The Brief: key statements * The Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * The Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=fad22c9e-84fc-4492-a13d-8189cb4423dc&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/subscribe?i=fad22c9e-84fc-4492-a13d-8189cb4423dc&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's daily news newsletter? The Brief is TIME's daily newsletter, edited by Richard Hall. It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically.  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Apr 19, 2016 10:20 PM UTC  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Apr 19, 2016 10:20 PM UTC A new ad is creating awareness for [sexual assault on campus](http://time.com/3936005/university-michigan-sexual-misconduct-survey/) by putting a dark spin on the moment teens find out they got into college. In the spot, which is designed to look like a home video, high school seniors joyfully read aloud their acceptance letters only to find that they contain an unexpected catch. “Prepare for a challenging year ahead which includes losing your virginity to a rapist,” the letter reads. “We’ll only suspend him for a single day, then you’re on your own.” The video is dubbed “[The Unacceptable Acceptance Letters](https://www.dontacceptrape.com)” and is accompanied by a caption with more information on the [prevalence of sexual assault](http://time.com/3722834/the-hunting-ground-provocative-documentary-reignites-campus-rape-debate/) at American universities. “1 in 5 women and 1 in 16 men are sexually assaulted in college,” it says. “Colleges across the country continue to underreport or even completely ignore these attacks, failing the same students they promised to protect. If they accept you, don’t accept this.” **Read More:** [This Is the New Frontier in the Fight Against Campus Rape](http://time.com/3910602/campus-rape-sexual-assault-california-law/) The commercial is part of a larger campaign by Goodby, Silverstein & Partners that includes a chilling print ad showing an acceptance letter that targets the practice of [victim blaming](http://time.com/3685273/uva-sorority-frat-rape/). “The claims you make against your rapist will be ignored, much like your right to feel safe at school,” it reads. “After all, you can’t expect us to expel somebody on the basis of a story that begins with ‘I had been drinking.'” > [](https://twitter.com/LauraPastacheli/status/721389105863663616) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4300008/college-acceptance-letter-ad-campus-sexual-assault/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4300008/college-acceptance-letter-ad-campus-sexual-assault/"},"headline":"This Ad Uses College Acceptance Letters to Shed Light on Campus Sexual Assault","datePublished":"2016-04-19T22:20:39.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:31:42.113Z","description":"\"If they accept you, don’t accept this\"","url":"https://time.com/4300008/college-acceptance-letter-ad-campus-sexual-assault/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Rape","Sexual Assault","College","Advertising","Ads","campus rape"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Megan McCluskey","jobTitle":"Staff Writer","url":"https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4300008/college-acceptance-letter-ad-campus-sexual-assault/","name":"This Ad Uses College Acceptance Letters to Shed Light on Campus Sexual Assault"}}]}] ```