Group addresses assault
By Jack Mooney
Flat Hat Staff Writer
More than two dozen people attended a special presentation by the all-male One in Four group Tuesday night at Trinkle Hall. The presentation, titled "How to Help a Sexual Assault Survivor: What Men Can Do," was open to the public as part of Sexual Assault Awareness Week on campus.
One in Four is one of two all-male groups on campus working to prevent sexual assault. It takes its name from the statistic that one in four college women have survived rape or attempted rape since their 14th birthday. The presentation given Tuesday is identical to the one which One in Four has been delivering to fraternities, sports teams, residence halls and other male groups on campus since February.
As One in Four president Matt Roosevelt, a junior, explained before the program began, the group normally only presents to all-male groups because men usually learn better in such environments.
Junior Lane Zetty, a One in Four member, expressed the group's enthusiasm about a meeting open to the public.
"In the past, we've had students, faculty and community members come out Š [people] have been very supportive of us as a start-up group," Zetty said.
The evening opened with a brief introduction from the group Men Educating Men on the Prevention of Sexual Assault, but the group did not present, because it is their policy to present to all-male groups only.
The rest of the presentation was put on by One in Four from a script by Dr. John Foubert of the School of Education, the faculty advisor for the group. According to literature the group provided, the program written by Foubert was recently found to be the most effective rape awareness program for men ever evaluated in the field of research literature.
"We're not here to lecture you," One in Four member Tom Fitzpatrick, a junior, said at the outset. "We're here with a positive message," designed to help victims of sexual assault and prevent incidents of sexual assault.
The evening featured a police training video, designed to convey the experience of a rape to a male audience. The major points were underscored in a discussion following the video. It compared a fictional rape of a male police officer to the ordeal experienced by women when they are raped.
Following the video, One in Four members offered a list of ways to help a rape survivor if she goes to a male friend for advice or assistance. The six major points stressed by the group were encouraging a victim to seek medical attention, not seeking revenge against the rapist, listening to what the survivor has to say, believing the survivor, helping her regain control and realizing limitations as a friend.
Statistics played a large role in the group's presentation to clear up some misconceptions about rape. Junior John Mallory stressed that only about 8 percent of reported rapes are false, adding to the importance of believing a woman when she describes a rape. Dismissing a myth that "stranger rape" accounts for a majority of cases, 80 percent of rapes were perpetrated by an acquaintance the victim had known for a year or more.
The majority of the audience at the program was comprised of women. Junior Amy Sherman, a Resident Assistant for freshmen, was one of the many female students in attendance. Her attitude was reflective of most of the women who came. Sherman hoped "to bring something back to my hall."
"There aren't many chances for women to see this program, so hopefully I can learn something for myself and my hall," she said.
In addition to being the faculty advisor of One in Four, Foubert is the president of the National Organization of Men's Outreach for Rape Education.
"Hopefully this will be a chance for people to see our program, especially women who wouldn't have the opportunity," he said.
Since the presentations began last month, Foubert said that 125 people turned out for the initial presentations.
The program closed with a question and answer session and a message geared toward men to change the climate that leads to sexual assaults by condemning the abuse of women and educating themselves and supporting others. One in Four ended the night with an idea of helping and prevention, specifically the goal to change the statistic that gives the group its name.
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