Preventing
Sexual Assault
March 30 & 31, 2015
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• Angela Allen
• Teneyah Duff
• Jasmine Jenkins
• Lexus Moore
• Dr. Roberts
Ka’Ron Cooper
Daishonai Jackson
Devante Johnson
Alexia Morgan
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Today’s Topics
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Staying out of Harms Way
Don’t Be a Rapist
Understanding the Difference Between Consent and Coercion
Avoidance Strategies
Dorm Room Smart
Partying Smart
Dating Smart
Finding Support through Campus Safety and Counseling
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Enjoying the College Experience
• A time to Learn
• A time to Grow
• A time to make life-long Friends
• To learn how to keep yourself out of
harms way
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Staying out of
Harms Way
• Alcohol is a factor in almost all sexual assaults on college
campuses.
• Many perpetrators of sexual assault are someone the victim
knows.
• Rape or sexual assault can happen to anyone, woman or man,
and it’s never the victim’s fault. It’s important to know that . . .
• Sexual assaults can happen in someone’s dorm room, at a
party, or on a date.
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Don’t Be a Rapist
• Be respectful. Anytime you are uncertain whether your
partner is comfortable with your behavior, ask! Assume that
“no” means no.
• Understand that a person who is drunk is not legally capable
of giving consent. If the other person is not capable of making
an informed decision, do not use their body to have sex.
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Don’t Be a Rapist
• Sexual urges do not give a person the right
to do whatever they want.
• Know the definition of sexual assault. If
you think a grope or “feeling someone up”
is just innocent fun, you could be
surprised. In some cases, you can be
arrested for these actions.
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Don’t Be a Rapist
• If your friend or roommate is sexually
assaulting someone, do what you can to
stop the assault.
• You can be charged with complicity if you
know about an assault and fail to
intervene.
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Don’t Be a Rapist
• Most sexual assaults on college campuses
follow drinking by one or both individuals.
• If drinking makes you more aggressive, you
could be in danger of sexually assaulting
someone.
• Being drunk is not a defense for committing
sexual assault and hurting a person.
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Don’t Be a Rapist
• Be aware that committing rape has severe
consequences. For your victim, there can
be years of emotional trauma,
unwarranted guilt, and fear.
• For you, sexual assault can lead to criminal
charges, attorney expenses, and prison.
For both of you, a sexual assault can result
in disease, pregnancy, and social stigma.
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Understand the Difference between
Consent and Coercion
• Coercion can include talking someone
into a sexual activity, wearing a
person down, making the person feel
guilty, or taking advantage of how
much someone had to drink.
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Understand the Difference between
Consent and Coercion
• Consent includes a mutual verbal
agreement, which can be revoked
at any time and cannot be given
by someone who is unable to
communicate.
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Avoidance Strategies to Minimize the
Risk of Sexual Assault
• Rape is a crime of power and control.
• Be aware of controlling behavior in your date
or relationship.
• Some behaviors might include:
• Intimidating stares.
• Degrading jokes or language.
Refusal to accept “no” as an answer, whether in a sexual context
or otherwise.
• Extreme jealousy, possessiveness.
A history of violent behavior.
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Avoidance Strategies to Minimize the
Risk of Sexual Assault
• Define your limits clearly to
yourself and then act quickly
when a date or partner
intentionally or unintentionally
crosses your stated boundaries.
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Avoidance Strategies to Minimize the
Risk of Sexual Assault
• Be independent and aware on your dates.
Think about appropriate places to meet.
• Set clear limits and be firm.
• It is your body, and no one has the right to
force you to do anything you don’t want to
do.
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Avoidance Strategies to Minimize the
Risk of Sexual Assault
• Do not give mixed messages. Say “yes”
when you mean “yes” and “no” when you
mean “no.”
• Be sure that your words do not conflict
with other signals such as eye contact,
voice tone, posture or gestures.
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Avoidance Strategies to Minimize the
Risk of Sexual Assault
• Examine attitudes about money and
power in the relationship.
• Does your date have a sense of sexual
entitlement attached to spending money
on your relationship?
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Avoidance Strategies to Minimize the
Risk of Sexual Assault
• Avoid secluded places where you could be vulnerable.
• If you are unsure of a new person in your life or if this person
has exhibited some of the controlling behaviors listed above,
suggest a group or double date.
• Meet in public places, where there are other people and
where you feel comfortable.
• This is especially important at the beginning of a relationship
until you feel you know the person better.
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Avoidance Strategies to Minimize the
Risk of Sexual Assault
• Trust your gut feelings.
• If you feel you are in a dangerous
situation, or that you are being pressured,
you’re probably right, and you need to
respond and leave as soon as possible.
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Avoidance Strategies to Minimize the
Risk of Sexual Assault
• If you feel pressured, coerced or fearful:
protest loudly, leave and, go for help.
• Make a scene!
• Your best defense is to attract attention to
the situation if you feel you are in trouble.
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Avoidance Strategies to Minimize the
Risk of Sexual Assault
• Alcohol and drugs are often related to
acquaintance rape. They compromise your
ability (and your partner’s ability) to make
responsible decisions.
• If you choose to drink alcohol, drink responsibly.
• Be able to get yourself home, and do not rely on
others to “take care” of you.
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Avoidance Strategies to Minimize the
Risk of Sexual Assault
• Practice self-defense.
• Knowing in advance how you would respond to a
physical threat greatly increases your chances of
escape.
• Anyone can learn self-defense and classes are
often available free or at a low cost through
schools and community context.
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Dorm Room Smart
• Keep your door locked
• Don’t let strangers in your room
• Remember, drugs and alcohol are involved in
most sexual assault cases
• Don’t have sex in your room when you have a
roommate
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Dorm Room Smart
• Be aware of men/women trying to
pressure/persuade you to have sex
• Meet in the community room
• Be aware that some abusers purposely
look for virgins or girls believed to “sleep
around”
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Partying Smart
• Stick with your friends.
• Make a plan before you go out. Set up
checkpoints or code words to make it easy for
you and your friends to stay connected.
• To avoid date-rape-drugs, hold on to your
drink—even when you go to the bathroom. If
your drink is out of your sight, even for a few
seconds, get a new one.
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Partying Smart
• Don’t accept a drink from anyone—unless
you can watch the bartender pour it.
• Don’t drink from punch bowls, open
containers or share drinks.
• Don’t drink anything that tastes strange.
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Partying Smart
• Avoid clubs or parties that charge men but let women
enter and drink for free.
• Always keep your cell phone charged and on you.
• Make sure you always have a ride home or a plan to walk
home with a friend or roommate.
• Always trust your instincts. If something doesn’t feel
right to you, leave and get to a safe place immediately.
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Dating Smart
• Know your limits—and let your date know
them right from the start.
• Be clear about what’s okay for you. Don’t
expect your date to read your mind.
• If you feel uncomfortable, leave.
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Dating Smart
• Don’t get in over your head. If someone pushes
you to do something you don’t want to do, you
have the right to leave.
• Stay in control. Alcohol is the most common
date-rape drug. In fact, alcohol is involved in 75
percent of all sexual assaults reported.
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Dating Smart
• Tell a friend where you are going,
especially if you’re going out on a first date
or a blind date.
• Avoid secluded places until you know your
date better.
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Dating Smart
• Always charge your cell phone and keep it
on you and carry enough money to take a
taxi home.
• Pay attention to what you hear. A person
may have a bad reputation for a reason.
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Finding Support
• If your prevention strategies do not work, it is
not your fault if you are raped.
• At any point when you are in a vulnerable
situation, your partner has a range of choices, if
your partner chooses to rape, that choice is
100% your partners responsibility.
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Campus Safety and Counseling
• If you were sexually assaulted, please
contact campus safety 313-927-1411 and
seek medical attention.
• Contact the campus counselor for personal
and supportive counseling at
313-927-1474.
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SOURCES:
• SOURCES: Tips for Preventing Sexual Assault | wellwvu | West
Virginia ...
• well.wvu.edu › articles West Virginia University
• Sexual Assault Prevention and Tips for Students and Parents:
adapted from You’re on Your Own (But I’m Here If You Need
Me): Mentoring Your Child During the College Years, by
Marjorie Savage. (Simon & Schuster, 2009)Sexual assault and
prevention tips www1.umn.edu › ... › Health and Safety University of Minnesota:Sexual Assault Prevention and Tips
for Students and Parents ... When you're preparing for a date
or a party, take care of yourself first. ...
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