“Drawing the Shades”
Written by: April L Elliott
With music from:
Tori Amos
My Chemical Romance
Nirvana
Dashboard Confessional
Cherry Monroe
Fall Out Boy
U2
Counting Crows
The Strokes
Kelly Clarkson
Dedicated to: k,b,b,a
And the 25 other
interviewed and the
nameless survivors
whose stories
remain unknown.
for those who had the
courage to share...
…what they hid from
everyone else...
…because they believed ...
…it might save someone.
Rape & Sexual assault are
not uncommon phenomena
If everyone in this room
stood up who knew
someone who had been
raped ...
…roughly 1/4 of you
would be standing.
DO IT
If you know someone who has
been attacked...
STAND
UP
Look around the room
Rape is NOT somebody else’s
problem
Forget the law
Forget what you have learned in
the past
What is RAPE?
Rape is pain, anger,
bitterness, loneliness,
traumatic, sad,
unnecessary, violating,
violent and
unforgettable.
Rape is forced or
threatened unwanted
sexual activity with
someone you know or
have just met.
Rape can happen at
anytime, or with anyone…it
doesn’t matter how you’re
dressed, what you’re doing,
or if you’ve gone out with
that person before.
STOP
Rape is WRONG at
anytime & any place,
with anyone
What is CONSENT?
Consent is given when 2
people have EQUAL
POWER in any given
situation
Consent is freely giving
your permission
WITHOUT fear or pain
with CONSENT you have
RESPECT
without CONSENT you
have RAPE
“I never thought anything
like that could ever happen
to me.”
1 in 6 women will be
raped in their lifetime
Women aged 18-29 run a
greater risk of being raped
than any other population
group
1 in 5 women will be
assaulted by an
acquaintance during their
stay at college.
Over 90% of these women
know their attacker
A woman is most likely to
be assaulted between her
first day of school and
Thanksgiving Break on
campus as a freshman
Men can be victims
of sexual assault.
The majority of these will
be male-on-male assaults,
74% will know their
attacker
Almost no male victims
will report the attack
“It’s like even before it
happened, I never had a
voice.”
“And the nightmare just
goes on.”
Every 21 hours there is a
rape on a college campus
The average rape lasts 2-4
hours
Every 2.5 minutes a
sexual assault occurs in the
United States
67% of all rapes occur at
night, 2/3 of those between
6pm and midnight
Rape in the United States is
10 times higher than in
England
And more than 40 times
higher than Japan
“I would have gone to
court, but no one cared.”
Only 39 % of rapes are
ever reported
Less than 5% of rapists will
go to jail
Only about 1% of male
students who rape are
prosecuted
Most rape cases are settled
out of court
“I’m not stupid, I could
smell the trouble, and the
beer, and the hatred.”
80 % of all rapes are
alcohol and drug related
75% of male students
involved in rape had been
drinking or using drugs
65% of female students
involved in rape had been
drinking or using drugs
68% of acquaintance rapes
happen at a party
32% of acquaintance rapes
happen in a residence hall
room
Nearly ¾ of those rapes
happened when victims
were so intoxicated they
were unable to consent or
refuse.
“Never mind, I need a
drink, I’m messed up.”
Excessive alcohol and/or
drug use could also be an
indication someone needs
help
Stay alert for behavioral
changes
“You can’t be a college
student today and honestly
think that sort of thing is
right.”
43 % of college-aged
men conceded to using
coercive behavior to have
sex, but did not admit that
it was rape.
In a UCLA study 35% of
college-aged men said they
would violently rape if they
knew they could get away
with it
In a similar Virginia study,
38% of male students said
they would
16% of male students who
had committed rape, took
part in gang rape
MYTH: Women say “No”
when what they really
mean is “Maybe” or “Yes”
About 1/3 of women
surveyed reported that they
HAD said NO, they did not
mean YES or MAYBE
ATTITUDE: Power,
aggressiveness and getting
what you want are part of
“being a man” in our
society
These myths and attitudes
lead to:
HATE
SEXISM
PAIN
VIOLENCE
ANGER
And:
RAPE
“I didn’t get up for a week.
I had to heal up before I
could deal with being
alive…”
No 2 survivors will react
the same way
Reactions may vary from
depression or apathy to
insomnia or anger and
shame
Male victims often become
homophobic and question
their sexuality after a rape
Male victims are more
likely than women to
become perpetrators of
sexual assault
If you or a friend are raped
or sexually assaulted:
Get to a safe place
Call your RA,
Health And Wellness
Educator or
a PEER
Call RWU Public Safety
or the Police
Go to Women and Infants
Hospital or Rhode Island
Hospital in Providence
Don’t go through this alone
There are several resources
where you can get help:
Health Services
Counseling Center
Office of Judicial Affairs/
Community Standards
A Team CARE member
Department of Public Safety
Bristol/Portsmouth Police
Sexual Assault & Trauma Resource
Center of RI
Now that you have felt
the emotional side of
rape...
…and you’ve seen
the undisputed
facts...
ASK YOURSELF
“How do I feel?”
“What can I do?”
Don’t be afraid to get
involved
“Do you hear me?”
Special thanks to:
Virginia Commonwealth University,
Rape Abuse and Incest National
Network
&
Students like you for
making this possible
Special Thanks to…
• Gordon “GW” Wood and Stage Crew
(thanks Pam!)
• Division of Student Affairs
• The CAST of RWU students:
Bill Fleming
Audrey Rostohar
Zack Gregus
Emilie Larrivee
Powerpoint updated by RWU
student Krystle LaChance
Music updated by RWU students
Krystle LaChance and
Kristal Feliciano