RHA, Women’s Center
target sexual assault
By Sarah Baker
Assignment Reporter
Prevention, prevention, preven
tion.
That’s what the people behind
Sexual Assault Awareness Week
want to preach first and foremost.
Ben Wallace, Residence Hall
Association president and coordina
tor of the weeklong event, said his
aim was to give students the tools to
help stop sexual assault before it
happens. Sexual Assault Awareness
Week runs today through Saturday.
Among the events scheduled are
a safety walk, a panel discussion, a
comedian who will discuss inter
personal communication and a self
defense course.
Wallace said the activities,
sponsored by RHA and the
Women’s Center, were designed
from a new angle.
“The activities are more posi
tive,” he said.
Amy Rager, Association of
Students of the University of
Nebraska first vice president said
the program, previously called Rape
Awareness Week, is intended to
help make students more aware.
“Students need to know about
the problems both on campus and in
the community concerning rape and
sexual assault,” she said.
The safety walk, which was held
Sunday night, was designed to show
students how to use the emergency
fcfc
Students need to
know about the
problems ...”
Amy Rager
ASUN first vice president
blue lights and how to be safe.
The panel discussion - which
takes place tonight - will give stu
dents the chance to ask any ques
tions they might have about preven
tion or awareness, Wallace said.
“The panel encompasses people
from all parts of the university,” he
said.
Rager said awareness on the
subject continues to grow every
year.
“More and more students are
beginning to see how important it
is,” she said.
Wallace said the focus was on
protection, not problems.
“We aren’t focusing on the trou
ble spots,” Wallace said. “We want
to make sure students know how to
be safe while on campus.”
Rager agreed.
“We don’t want students to be
afraid, but at the same time we don’t
want them to be relaxed about walk
ing on campus at night,” she said.
“We just want them to be aware of
what is out there.”
Check us out
www.unl.edu/DailyNeb/
SHARPP points to rape scare
DURHAM, N.H. (U-WIRE) —
For freshmen students, the first year
of college can be full of refreshing,
positive experiences with new chal
lenges. But it can also be dangerous,
especially if students are not aware of
certain situations.
One of the dangers is rape or sex
ual assault. The majority of sexual
assaults and physical abuse of stu
dents occur in the first semester of
their first year of college. And most
rapes occur not by strangers, but by
acquaintances.
One in four women will be raped
by men during their college tenure,
according to Elizabethe Plante, direc
tor of SHARPP, UNH’s Sexual
Harassment and Rape Prevention
Program.
To try to prevent that, Plante
advises students, especially those
unfamiliar with the college atmos
phere, to be aware of certain situa
tions and to watch out for the safety
of fellow students.
One of Plante’s greatest concerns
is the drug Rohypnol, known as the
“rape drug.” Rohypnol is the brand
name of a sleeping pill marketed by
Roche Pharmaceuticals. It is also
commonly called Roofies, Ruffies,
Roche and various other names.
Rohypnol has no legal use in this
country. The most common and con
cerning abuse of the drug is its use by
rapists, who slip the drug into a vic
tim’s drink (usually alcohol) before a
rape or sexual assault.
The drug takes away the victim’s
normal inhibitions and blocks the
memory of a rape or sexual assault.
Plante said victims experience
“blackouts,” which means a victim
can still walk around and talk to peo
ple, but won’t remember anything the
next day. She said victims especially
have a difficult time dealing with not
knowing what happened.
“Even a small amount can cause
amnesia,” said Plante.
When Rohypnol is mixed with
it—
Its out there. I urge women and men to
be aware”
Elizabethe Plante
director of SHARPP
other drugs or alcohol, the symptoms
may be intensified and can even be
fatal.
Plante said Rohypnol is a sedative
similar to Valium, but 20 times more
potent.
It is odorless, tasteless and color
less. Plante advises that if students
are in a drinking situation they should
guard their drink so no one can slip
anything into it.
Last year there were several sus
picious rape cases concerning the
drug, according to Plante.
“It’s out there,” Plante said. “I
urge women and men to be aware.”
She also encourages people to
watch out for each other. If a person
suspects that Rohypnol may have
been slipped into someone’s drink,
symptoms to look out for include
impaired judgment and motor skills,
amnesia, drowsiness, dizziness and
confusion.
Putting someone to bed for the
night is not enough, Plante said. A
victim would need immediate atten
tion at an emergency room where tox
icology tests could be run to test for
the drug.
Plante strongly urges bystanders
to take action. Ninety percent of the
time rape is preventable, she said, and
part of the responsibility is on
bystanders.
“Everyone knows, or will know,
someone who has been sexually
assaulted,” she said.
If a woman is intoxicated at a
party, and a man leads her off some
where, Plante said bystanders should
n’t just assume that he is tucking her
into bed, or getting a girlfriend to take
her home. Bystanders should ques
tion whether or not the situation is
safe for the woman, and they should
take action to find out, Plante said.
Another message Plante wants to
get across is that more rapes take
place by acquaintances than by
strangers.
“Women are vigilant about pro
tecting themselves from rape when it
comes to strangers,” Plante said. “But
they need to understand that they are
at the greatest risk of danger with a
man that they know.”
She advises that people should
trust their instincts. If something
doesn’t feel safe, then it probably
isn’t.
SHARPP SAFETY TIPS TO
FIGHT SEXUAL ASSAULT
■In a drinking situation, guard
your drink so no one can slip any
thing into it.
■ Watch out for other people - use
the buddy system.
■ Be aware that it’s OK to express
limits.
■ Realize that everyone has a
right to refuse and a right to change
his or her mind.
■ Trust your instincts. If some
thing doesn’t feel safe, then it proba
bly isn’t.
Sexual Assault Awareness Week
Any Questions or Need More
WTTAT1 CAN YOU DO? Info? Call Ben at 436-9611
find out!!!
MONDAY
8:00 PM Open Forum on Sexual Assault Awareness with Panel
(Centennial Room of Nebraska Union)
TUESDAY
3:30 PM-5:30 PM Men Take a Stand
for Sexual Assault Awareness Rally (Greenspace)
6:00-9:30 PM
SHARP self-defense course (Part 1 of 2)
(Campus Rec Center, to register call 472-7440)
WEDNESDAY
7:00 PM Juli Burney “Let’sTalk”
A workshop on interpersonal communication
(Wick Center)
THURSDAY
6:00-9:30 PM SHARP self-defense course (Part 2)
(Campus Recreation Center)
SATURDAY
9:00 AM-4:00 PM 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament
(for more information call Bill Steinbauer at 477-3997)
Sponsored by: UPC, Student Affairs, University Health Center, University
Housing, State Farm Insurance, Men Speak Out Against Violence, Womens
Center, RHA, ASUN, UNL-PD, Victim Services, IFC, Panhellenic Council,
Greek Affairs, APU, University Lutheran Chapel, Judicial Affairs, Student
Involvement, Culture Center, Counseling and Psychological Services,
Nebraska Unions, and Campus Escort.
SHOOTING FOR RESPECT I
3 ON 3 BASKETBALL REGISTRATION FORM I
DOUBLE ELIMINATION I
WHERE: THE LUTHERAN CHAPEL LOT at 16th & ‘O' Street 1
WHEN: Sat, Sept. 27th (Play begins at 10 A.M. I
—ALL TEAMS check in 9-9:30 A.V. at 16th & O’ Street) |
FOR: ALL STUDENTS AND FACULTY (
(Those under 19 need parent signature.)
COST: $40/team: All proceeds go to the Lincoln Rape and
Spouse Crisis Center!!! ■
i
TEAM NAME:_ I
CIRCLE ONE: MENS WOMENS *
PLAYER NAME A PHONE# HEIGHT PARENTS SIGNATURE (if under |
1._ _ _ |
2._ _ _ |
3._ _ _
A.----,
Participants, PLEASE RETURN TEAM ENTRY FORMS I
BY THURSDAY. SEPTEMBER25thto House Philanthropy (
Chair if member of fraternity or sorority OR University
Lutheran Chapel at 1510 *Q’ Street if faculty or non-Greek I
student. Checks made payable to Shooting For Respect. |
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