USU hires SAAVI coordinator to help battle abuse
Every two minutes, somewhere in America, someone is sexually assaulted
Eighty percent of those raped are under the age of 30, according to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN).
Utah State University, aware of the threat to young adults, has hired a new full-time Sexual Assault and Anti Violence Information (SAAVI) coordinator, Rachel Hickman, to help educate students and prevent sexual assaults and violence on campus.
Janet Osborne, director of the Women’s Center at USU, said, “It was USU’s intent to have an office as a contact point for sexual assault and rape crises, along with prevention programs. This demonstrates the campus’ commitment to these issues.”
The SAAVI office works in conjunction with many already existing offices on campus. The SAAVI resource team includes Aggie Athletics, the Counseling Center, Residence Life, the Student Health and Wellness Center, the University Police and the Women’s Center. All of these offices deal with issues related to sexual assault, but as the SAAVI coordinator, Hickman focuses solely on these issues.
One out of every six American women have been the victims of an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime, according to RAINN. Women between the ages of 16 and 24 are at highest risk for sexual assault, according to the FBI.
Freshmen, are particularly vulnerable, Hickman said. They are in transition from the structured environment of home and high school, to increased freedom on campus, Hickman said, and typically have not developed skills to balance independence and personal safety.
Hickman said many predators traditionally perceive freshmen women as being more vulnerable and naive. They also tend to be less familiar with their environment and have less experience in relationships, Hickman said.
“It’s important to create an awareness of relationships,” Osborne said. “Young people need to know what a healthy relationship looks like. They need to learn how to communicate and understand the challenges of a college environment.”
SAAVI helps not only primary survivors of sexual assault, those who have actually experienced the violence, but it also help the secondary survivors, friends and family of the victim.
“When someone we know is hurting, we hurt too,” Hickman said.
The SAAVI office is especially important during “Red Zone,” a period of time the university recognizes to make students more aware of the dangers of sexual assault.
“This is the most dangerous time of the year,” Hickman said. “From August to November is the most vulnerable time for sexual assault.”
USU will recognize the week of Sept. 7-9 as Red Zone Week.
On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, a booth event will take place in the Sunburst Lounge in the TSC from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The booth event will include the opportunity to win gift certificates from Wal-Mart, the USU Bookstore and the Skyroom.
Red Zone Week will also feature a film festival that will screen “Tough Guise: Viloence, Media, and the Crisis in Masculinity,” and “Killing Us Softly 3: Advertising’s Image of Women”. Following each film a discussion will be mediated by a USU faculty member.
Hickman urges students to talk to their professors to see if extra credit can be earned for attending the films that are being shown.
The main event for Red Zone Week, “In the Zone,” will take place at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday in the Sunburst Lounge and will include a presentation on relationships as well as self-defense demonstrations by the campus police.
The group or organization that has the largest attendance will win a pizza/Aggie ice cream party for up to 100 people.
The SAAVI office is housed in the Student Health and Wellness Center, just north of Romney Stadium. For more information about Red Zone Week or SAAVI, or to contact Rachel Hickman, call 797-1660. To report a sexual assault or rape call, 797-RAPE (7273).
-apassey@cc.usu.edu