Dirks did not intend to become an activist for sexual assault victims, but students began coming to her and pouring their hearts out. Since 2011, when she started at Oxy, Dirks says she's spoken to dozens of young men and women who say they've been raped, assaulted, harassed, stalked or cyber-bullied. Earlier this year, along with another professor, Dirks filed a federal complaint against the college for mishandling sexual assault cases, including assigning one student found guilty of rape a five-page paper as punishment. Her research and teaching focus on questions of justice and inequality.