TV REVIEW

A young college student, raped by an acquaintance, says of her attacker, “He doesn’t see himself as a rapist. He’s kind of ‘Joe Average.’ ”

She is one of many victims who talk about their experiences in “Against Her Will” (tonight at 9 p.m. on the Lifetime cable channel), a documentary about campus rape, a crime that has reached epidemic proportions across the country.

Kelly McGillis hosts this sober, informative hour, quietly announcing that she herself is a rape survivor. Divided into five segments, the program, produced by Jorn Winther, begins by defining rape--it is sex against a woman’s will, no matter what the circumstances. It then defines the rapist: He is usually personable and friendly--and he can be anyone.

Next, we’re told how sluggish official response continues to help men get away with the act and then we’re shown new, on-campus rape education programs. The last segment offers a list of “do’s and don’ts” for women, to help them avoid becoming victims.

“Men have learned not to listen to a woman’s reality,” says a USC psychologist. He speaks of the need for men to develop empathy and stop “objectifying” women.

Perhaps the most vivid illustration of the need to change societal messages comes from informal, on-camera interviews with several pleasant-looking male students who earnestly explain that “women like men who are in control,” that “they dress to attract a lot of men” and that a woman can expect rape “if she is drunk at a party.”

The program repeats Saturday at 9 p.m., June 3 and June 8, both at 1 p.m.