USU Police offers Red Zone perspective
The warm sun is hardly making its presence known, as Sarah’s eyes filled with tears and gaze past her textbook for the third time in the last minute. While the tears drop below her cheeks onto the book, she wonders aloud, “Why me?” It has been three long agonizing weeks since … “oh, if only someone had warned me about this!”
Fact or fiction?
Has it or will it happen at Utah State University? Sadly, yes it will – and does – happen here. All too often across the United States, similar experiences will happen again and again if we do not unite to bring an end to such behavior.
USU is first and foremost an institution set up to learn, teach, enlighten, change attitudes and behaviors concerning the treatment of women.
So what do you know about the Red Zone? It is, for every female freshman attending college in the USA, a time that they are at most risk of being sexually assaulted during their pursuit of an education.
The Red Zone begins the moment any female freshman arrives on campus and continues until the first major break of the university.
For USU female freshman students, that time frame generally runs from the last week of August until the Thanksgiving Break, approximately 12 to 14 weeks. Nationally during Red Zone one in six female freshmen will be sexually assaulted during this period of time.
There are two approaches in preventing this problem from occurring. The first approach requires men to change a perception of societal beliefs and misconceptions about their right of passage – belief that it is permissable for a male individual to sexually assault a female individual. This mentality is not consistent with society’s laws nor with basic human decency.
A misconception that some male individuals have, is that when a woman kisses or hugs the male individual, it means she wants to have sex.
That most often is not what a woman is thinking or planning when she kisses or hugs a man. So men, treat women with respect and dignity. Don’t assume or think you know what they want.
If men would respect and treat women correctly, then women would not have to do this one approach, however, because not all men treat women appropriately the second approach is necessary.
The second approach is for women to take a more proactive stance in their self-protection. Quite often ladies believe that it will not happen to them. A plan of action should exist for what they would do in most any given situation.
Some things to keep in mind are; group dates, never studying alone with someone of the opposite sex in your bedroom. Always be willing to end and leave the date if the person begins to touch you inappropriately. Be cautious in drinking alcohol or taking drugs, watch what you drink at parties, don’t share drinks. If you feel or think something isn’t right get out of the situation, tell others where you are going and who you are with. Be upfront and tell your date what is and isn’t acceptable in your relationship, and take a self-defense class and learn how to protect yourself.
If sexual assault happens to you, please talk to someone like your roommate or a trusted friend. Visit with the new SAVVI coordinator Rachel Hickman, contact her at 797-1510 or a 24 hour hotline 797-RAPE. Contact CAPSA at 753-2500 or any USU Police Officer at 797-1939, to get help and find out your options. Lets all work together to bring an end to sexual assault on women.
Shane Sessions is a lieutenanton for the USU polce force as well as a RAD (Rape and Agression Defense) insturctor on campus. Comments can be sent to Sessions at sessions@cc.usu.edu