Did you know: one out of every four college women have survived a rape or an attempted rape since their fourteenth birthday? That in 80 percent of sexual assault cases, the perpetrator is someone the victim knows, rather than a random stranger? That 23 women an hour are sexually assaulted or raped? That by being informed about acts of sexual assault, individuals can work to help prevent and support those who have been in these situations?
That is exactly what the numerous sexual assault organizations serve to do, both at the University and throughout the Charlottesville community -- to provide a safe environment for women or men who have experienced cases of sexual assault or rape. They also serve to educate the community in matters of sexual assault by offering presentations and lectures on this issue. Each group, while interacting with each other, serves as an autonomous force to combat these issues and help the survivors move on. The acronymic tour de force of SAFE, SARA, One in Four, SAPA and SALC are trying to help the University to overcome issues of sexual assault and rape.
Sexual Assault Facts and Education (SAFE)
In 1990, a group of students at the University, Students for Rape Awareness, decided they needed an overarching organization to support instances of rape and sexual assault within the University community. In order to get the support needed to fund this project, the students symbolically sought for membership the number of students that had reported sexual assault -- a total of 134. Students then gathered for a 134-hour vigil on the Rotunda steps, which attracted national news attention.
Afterward, because of the combined efforts of the students and the University Judiciary Committee, SAFE (formerly Students for Rape Awarness) became a recognized organization in 1991. At the time, only one person served on this committee. Now, Claire Kaplan, the University Women's Center sexual assault education coordinator, said the Center has grown since the organization's creation.
"SAFE is comprised of peer educators who coordinate programs each year to educate the student body about our organization and produce information about sexual assault to distribute to students, faculty and staff," Kaplan said. "Although we are not a crisis center, we work closely with other sexual assault resource agencies, like SARA [Sexual Assault Resource Agency] and SHE [Shelter for Help in Emergency] to provide mutual support and cooperation."
Some of the programs sponsored by SAFE, in conjunction with other sexual assault groups, are the play "Sex Signals," films at the Virginia Film Festival and various programs in October -- Domestic Violence Awareness Month -- and in April, which is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. One of the largest programs they organize is the Clothesline Project.
"This project stems from the national project, in which local survivors make T-shirts for our organization to hang up in various locations around the University and within the community to illuminate how many instances of sexual assault have taken place," Kaplan said. "The color of the shirt represents the level or kind of abuse a person received."
SAFE, in conjunction with the local police department, also helps victims of sexual assault work through the judicial process if they chose to press charges against the assailant. According to Kaplan, the judicial process for filing a sexual assault crime is difficult to pass through the courts because of the extensive evidence that needs to be collected. Part of SAFE's job is to make sure the individuals understand why they were turned down. The organization can also provide support for these individuals by connecting them with SARA or another resource agency for support throughout their recovery process.
Sexual Assault Resource Agency (SARA)
SARA, comprised of around 30 volunteers, serves both the University and a broad range of counties in and around Albemarle County. SARA Outreach Advocate Jessica McGrane said the role of the SARA staff and volunteers is to provide information to the community and support individuals working through assault experiences.
"SARA provides free counseling for victims of sexual assault," McGrane said. "We put on presentations for the Resident Staff at the University and joint presentations for the community with groups such as SAFE, One in Four and SAPA. The need to educate the community is great since sexual assault is the most underreported crime. Students want to come to our building to seek help because it's separate from the University and private."
SARA provides unique support for victims in sexual assault cases in two ways: They have a 24-hour hotline for individuals to call in case of an emergency or to report a hospitalized patient, and they provide volunteers who visit hospitalized victims to comfort them and inform them of their rights.
Virginia Frischkorn, a SARA volunteer and co-chair of the Sexual Assault Leadership Council, said she answers the hotline usually one shift a week, which lasts from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.
"There are two broad types of calls you can receive during your shift -- either someone calls to talk about their experience, or the emergency room is calling about a rape or assault that just occurred and need a SARA volunteer to be with the victim," said Frischkorn, a fourth-year College student. "Basically, we go to the ER, and we are there as support, to listen and be a friend to them, to make sure they know that what happened wasn't their fault."
A volunteer who goes to the emergency room is armed with an information packet -- an educational booklet called the "Handbook for Survivors" -- and a physical examination recovery kit. This kit is used to collect the evidence from the rape that could help the victim to file a case -- a process that usually takes six and a half hours.
Along with these services, SARA volunteers help to organize speakers during April's Sexual Assault Awareness Week and the Take Back the Night vigil, which allows victims to speak out about their experiences and receive support from SARA afterward.
"We have meetings prior to the event to make sure that people feel safe sharing their stories," McGrane said. "Many times, individuals that share these personal stories have never shared them before, and embarrassment and shame can follow -- particularly in front of an audience where you know a lot of people. This event, however, is very empowering for women."
One in Four
"We want to try and make sexual assault a men's as well as a women's issue," One in Four member and third-year College student Matt Deasey said.
This is, essentially, the founding principle of the group. Approximately 25 to 30 men serve to educate male audiences about issues of sexual assault throughout the University community, ranging from fraternities to athletic groups.
The selection process for this group is rigorous. Usually, students must be nominated by someone within the University community -- whether by a department head, dean, sorority or fraternity leader or coach -- or they can contact the organization expressing interest. Out of the usual 120 applicants per year, 13 men on average are accepted into the organization after two interview processes.
The real focus of the organization is on education and assembling presentations for the student body. Fourth-year Commerce student and One in Four President Tripp McLaughlin said although the organization has come a long way, there are still improvements that need to be made.
"Our job is to de-mystify some of the myths of sexual assault," McLaughlin said. "We hold safety and security talks for first years and we work closely with SAPA, SAFE and the University Police Department on these cases. We are also hoping to increase our unity with SAPA, so we can talk to both women and men at the same time."
One in Four also helps organize Take Back the Night; members of the group currently are drafting a new presentation to address some changes in sexual assault standards that will be presented for the University and Charlottesville community Oct. 30.
Deasey said he sees the positive impact that further education within the male population can have concerning issues of sexual assault.
"The survivors of sexual assault violence are usually our friends or family members," Deasey said. "Our organization encourages men to talk to other men about this issue, although it takes time to make these issues easy to discuss."
Sexual Assault Peer Advocacy (SAPA)
Observing the success One in Four was having among the male community at the University, fourth-year College student Kyle Boynton decided to create a similar organization that was mainly focused on providing women the support they needed after these traumatizing events. The result of his vision was SAPA.
"I joined One in Four as a first year, and in my second year, I went through SARA training," Boynton said. "I had the idea to start SAPA as a sexual assault agency for women. I realized that this was a necessary program to create since there was no education program for women that didn't blame rape on the survivor at that time."
Like One in Four, SAPA members work on educating the community about sexual assault issues through presentations and working with Take Back the Night. They also hold presentations that address how parents can help a son or daughter cope with the experience.
Fourth-year College student and SAPA President Anna Murray commented on the organization's growing list of program offerings.
"Our organization is very geared toward parents programs, and we have an open presentation schedule for Parents' Weekend," Murray said. "Since parents aren't very aware with what's going on in university, most survivors don't ever tell their parents that they have been assaulted. Also, our goals for this year are to expand our audience, to get more multicultural organizations involved."
Sexual Assault Leadership Council (SALC)
The overarching force tying these various sexual assault organizations together is the Sexual Assault Leadership Council (SALC). The Council was reinstituted last year because of increased student demand for a central body in which the heads of sexual assault organizations and women's groups could meet to discuss upcoming events and education strategies. Fourth-year College student Emily Saunders, an external chair for SALC, helped to push for its revival.
"SALC came together again last year because a group of students decided that they wanted student voices to be unified for University issues," Saunders said. "The core members of SALC meet once a week and include the presidents of the peer education groups -- SAPA, One in Four and SAFE. The main goal of the organization is to coordinate communication among these groups."
SALC is responsible for promoting the consent campaign, which was launched last year and will take place again this November. According to Senior Associate Dean of Students Shamim Sisson, the consent campaign informs students of the revisions to sexual assault procedure while providing them with a list of the levels of consent in any sexual encounter. The consent campaign also produces a pamphlet informing students of the policies of consent and is designed to reach a mass amount of students.
According to Saunders, other events SALC is involved in organizing are the safety and security talks for incoming students.
"One of our main focuses is to improve education among first years," Saunders said. "We only get 15 minutes to give our presentation to the students. Most [sexual assault] groups at the University haven't received enough attention. Each group, with the help of the students and administration, are seeking to address these issues."
One of the most serious issues sexual assault groups encounter on a regular basis concerns the serial rapist. According to McGrane, the serial rapist is perpetuating the myth that most women are raped by a stranger.
"In reality, that's not what [individuals] should be afraid of, since the majority of sexual assault cases are committed by people they know," McGrane said. "The majority of the calls are individuals asking me how best to avoid sexual assault, and I have to tell them they really can't. There are lots of requests for self-defense classes, and the local media is always calling to ask about [the rapist] and what women can do to reduce their risk."
Not only are community individuals highly concerned about this issue, but the myth exists in the student population as well.
"It's one of the first things you hear about," said McLaughlin. "It feeds the view that all rape is stranger rape, and it shuts people off to the true facts about sexual assault."
According to members in each of the groups, the best way to combat issues like the serial rapist is simply to increase student awareness of sexual assault.
"The way that violence is in our community today, it has been equated so much with sex," McGrane said. "There are many different reasons for prevailing misconceptions. We hold a couple of community forums to try and address these issues."
Clarification: The Oct. 14 Life feature,
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