The Importance of Knowledge in Prevention

By: Caitlyn McGregor, ENGL 336:001

The Red Zone Forum is a program held on the Frostburg State University campus that informs students about the dangers of sexual assault present not only on a college campus, but everywhere. The "red zone" represents the time period at the beginning of freshman year that many girls are susceptible to sexual assault. This forum is being sponsored by the BURG Peer Education Network for the second year, with more to come. The panel of speakers, composed of many different persons from on and around the FSU campus, sits in front of the ARMAH room on the main stage. The seriousness of the topic encourages the audience to be silent as the presentation begins.

Patricia Malatt, secretary of the BURG Peer Education Network, begins by introducing the purpose of the program, and the results they are hoping for: “Our goal is to help all of you have a btter understanding of sexual assault”. The university’s own President Gibralter rises and thanks the panel of speakers for agreeing to enhance the program with their opinions. In his speech, he stresses the importance of communication and knowledge about this issue, and makes an effort to establish the fact that sexual assault prevention is a “community wide effort”, not just one for the FSU campus to take on alone. Many people can play a part in prevention, as well as recovery, as the following speakers illustrate.

Mike Murtaugh of the FSU Psychology Department introduces the next few panelists. Taness Cline and Rhonda Pick of Family Crisis Resource Center, and Dr. Spencer Deakin of the FSU Counseling Center, all speak about the importance of control and anonymity to a victim. The FCRC, which also provides legal services, has a 24-hour hotline with no caller ID, and the counseling center on campus is confidential. Also, these services are free and easily accessible to students.

Speaking of on campus services, Amy Kiddy of the Brady Health Center speaks on the three things to keep in mind when dealing with a survivor of sexual assault. The first thing is to tell the survivor that they are believed. Many people don’t reveal their experience to anyone because they are afraid they won’t be believed. The second thing, and possibly the most important, is that it is “never, ever, ever their fault….there’s no but”. Finally, the thing the survivor needs the most, is the control over their own lives and decisions. While Brady Health cannot do evidence collection, they can direct you to the proper place for this service.

Michael Bice, of the Allegany County Health Department, speaks about the role that substances play in sexual assault. He states that, when it comes to sexual assault “the number one culprit is alcohol”. But as Dr. Deakin states, “Just because they were under the influence of alcohol doesn't reduce the blame on the perpetrator”.

Cynthia Smith, the chief of the FSU police force, states that many students are afraid to report a sexual assault because they were drinking underage and don’t want to get in trouble. Chief Smith calms these fears: “Our number one priority as the police is the victim”. In cases such as these, the welfare of the victim and the acquisition of a suspect takes precedence over other factors such as underage drinking. She stresses the value that these reports have to the police force, because they as a police force cannot evaluate the effectiveness of their enforcement if so many crimes go unreported.

Catherine Deal, three-year member of BURG, feels that “it can be easier for someone to speak to someone on their level”. This is the purpose of the BURG Peer Education Network on the FSU campus. They provide a service run by students for students. If a student feels intimidated by talking to a counselor or the police, they can always talk to a peer, who can “bridge the gap” for them and direct them to the resources they need. She lists off a few events coming up in the next month that echo the importance of sexual assault prevention on our campus:

September 28^th and November 18^th: Wear RED day to raise awareness.

September 30^th: poster campaign to emphasize verbal consent

(“Consent is Sexy”)

October 12^th: A program geared toward those involved in Greek Life

October 25^th: “Flag Activity”, where flags will be set out to represent the

statistic that every two minutes (worldwide), someone is sexually

assaulted.

Keep an eye out for these events!

All of these speakers seem to stress the fact that victims need to be reassured that they are not in any way at fault. The best service friends and family can provide is support, and to let the victim know they have a system of people that believe them and will help them through this difficult process. In addition, the best thing students can do for their peers is to simply know about sexual assault prevention, and what to do if it happens to someone close to them. Knowledge is the most important part of prevention!