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The Reality of Sexual Assault and Rape
Jenn Peterson

Graphic By: Jenn Peterson On March 28, a "Speak Out Against Violence" event was held in Heth hall. This was a continuation of "Take Back the Night," which was held last semester in Heth plaza. A similar event at Virginia Tech recently brought out a record 1,500 people. These programs are a reality check of the facts of life. Every year, thousands of people are sexually assaulted or raped. It even happens here at RU. At the "Speak Out" in Heth, one RU student walked up in front of the audience and gave a chilling story of how she was raped just last year in her dorm room by someone who she trusted and thought was her friend. Other stories were told of a girl who was continually abused by her father and of how a man was abused by a woman.

Men usually don't realize that they have been sexually abused because most often they figure, "Hey, I got laid." However, if you didn't ask that girl to go down on you while you were passed out, then you, my friend, have been abused. Your buddies might try to tell you it was a great thing to have happen, but if it were the other way around and you had gone down on her while she was passed out, how many people would pat you on the back for a job well done? Everyone can be a victim.

Here are some facts about abuse:

  • 1 in 4 women will be abused while in college
  • 1 in 2 women will be abused in their lifetime
  • 1 in 11 men will be abused in their lifetime
  • The majority of abusers are men
  • Only 1 in about 30 abuse cases goes reported, and out of those, only 25% result in charges being pressed and/or wind up in court.

    If you think you are a victim of abuse, it is important to seek counseling. It is never your fault, and there are people out there who want to help you. If you have a friend who is a victim, you need to give them lots of support and love because this is a very traumatic event that should never happen to anyone.

    Here is a list of counselors and peers available at RU to talk to confidentially about these issues:

    Counselors:

    Shannon May, Women's Resource Center
    Holly Sheib, Women's Resource Center
    Martha Glass, Substance Abuse & Sexual Assault Education
    Debbie Curl-Nagy, Director, Substance Abuse & Sexual Assault Education

    Phone numbers:

    Women's Resource Center Hotline- 639-1123
    Center For Counseling and Student Development- 831-5226
    Office of Substance Abuse and Sexual Assault Education- 831-5709

    Web sites:

    RU Police Department page about Sexual Assault

    If you know of other local resources on this matter, feel free to leave your feedback below.

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    Name: jeff
    Comments:
    Jenn and Chris, I applaud you for writing this article. This is a very vital issue for students on this campus, or any campus, or anyWHERE to know about. No one is invincible.