Best-selling author John Karkauer appears on Friday's Smart Talk for a conversation about his latest book Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town.

Sexual assaults on college campuses are getting more attention across the country after several high profile cases and controversies. That's after years of not always being taken seriously.

It was, and still is, rare for victims to file reports, and in those instances, rarer to see through to conviction.

Campus sponsored programs may have made more students aware of the problem, but it hasn't stopped it.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 19% of undergraduate women experience sexual assault in college.

Yet, the Federal Office of Civil Rights is only investigating 11 cases of sexual assault in Pennsylvania.

Many victims find the process of reporting and prosecuting the crime to be almost as traumatic.

Krakauer writes that campus sexual assaults are prevalent and that the criminal justice system is itself a deterrent.

The book chronicles a series of sexual assaults at the University of Montana and the chaos that plagued victims looking for justice. It forces questions about the commitment of universities to their athletic programs and their indifference to campus safety.

Also, 11th District Republican incumbent Congressman Lou Barletta joins us as part of Smart Talk's Conversations with the Candidates.

The 11th District includes parts of Dauphin, Cumberland and Perry Counties as well as all of Columbia, Montour and Wyoming Counties and parts of Luzerne, and Northumberland Counties.