At a conference last fall, Kirsten Dierking came across "College Girl: A Memoir," a book by Laura Gray-Rosendale that tells the story of a brutal sexual assault she experienced as a college student. While she purchased a copy of the book, it sat unopened on her desk for a while; also a victim of brutal rape in college, she was not sure what kind of impact the book would have on her. When Dierking began reading the book in early January, her first thought was how familiar it felt; the material was difficult, and at the same time, oddly comforting. Instead of retreating permanently from campus life, both Dierking and Gray-Rosendale ended up as college faculty which led Dierking to wonder how Gray-Rosendale's experience of violence affected her work in the classroom. What did she think about sexual assault reform on campus? In pursuit of answers to her questions, Dierking contacted Gray-Rosendale and proposed an article written in the form of a dialogue, and Gray-Rosendale graciously agreed to participate. In sharing this conversation with "Thought & Action" readers, both women hope to contribute to a public dialogue about sexual assault that recognizes the human cost (and courage) behind the reports and statistics.