SAVE Through Education
1. Myth: Most rapes occur when women are out alone at night. Most rapes are committed by strangers.
2. Fact: 78 percent of the men identified as rapists were an acquaintance, friend, or boyfriend of the victims.
3. Myth: Women frequently cry “rape” and there is a high frequency of false reporting.
4. Fact: FBI statistics show that only two percent of rape reports are false, which is no more than false reports of other felonies.
5. Myth: Women precipitate rape; they ask for it.
6. Fact: Rape is an attack in which the victim’s life is controlled by the attacker. No person asks for or deserves such as assault.
7. Myth: Women owe men sex under some circumstances.
8. Fact: Sex is NOT a commodity to be bought and sold, nor is there any ownership of another’s sexuality.
April is not just any month. It is Sexual Assault Awareness month, which brings Seton Hall University (SHU)’s SAVE team (Sexual Assault and Violence Education) to the forefront. Each of the myths and facts above were found on a SAVE brochure, which the team posts around campus to keep students informed.
The SAVE team lives by the motto, “Education is the Key to Prevention.” SAVE holds many events and educational programs throughout the year to keep the SHU community informed and give students the resources they need to get help.
Christina Minneci, a senior studying Diplomacy and International Relations with a focus on Women and Gender Studies, decided to get involved with the SAVE team because she wanted to make an active difference on campus for an issue which she cares greatly about.
“People need to get a realistic understanding of what sexual assault really looks like and not romanticize it into being something scary and distant that would never happen to ordinary people,” said Minneci.
Amanda Gagne, a senior studying Diplomacy and International Relations, with a minor in Women and Gender Studies, is also a peer educator on the SAVE team.
“The first thing people should know about sexual assault is that it is never the victim’s fault, no matter where he/she was, what he/she was wearing, or how much he/she drank,” said Gagne.
Sexual assault has been an issue in our society for a while, but has just started to make a major impact in recent years, due to educational programs, such as SAVE. To make a difference in society it is crucial that we understand the issue fully, especially in regards to the college lifestyle that we are immersed in here at SHU.
Nearly one in five women and one in 71 men reported experiencing rape at some time in their lives. Among college women, nine in 10 victims of rape and sexual assault knew their offender. 90 percent of all campus rapes occur under the influence of alcohol.
Awareness and education will be the first step in changing these statistics. Sexual assault awareness first comes with learning what consent means. According to a SAVE brochure, consent cannot be given if incapacitated due to alcohol, drugs, etc. and needs to be a clear, unambiguous, and voluntary agreement between the participating individuals to engage in specific sexual activity.
At SHU, sexual assault encompasses rape in all forms: date rape, acquaintance rape, or sexual contact involving touching the victim’s or attacker’s intimate body parts, even through clothing, for the purpose of degrading or humiliating the victim or for the attacker’s gratification.
“Students need to be educated on the issues surrounding sexual assault in order to better understand the situation,” said Minneci.
In order to follow through on this mission, the SAVE team holds roundtable discussions, to open the dialogue between students and faculty in the SHU community.
Dr. Sandra Ackerman-Sinclair, a staff psychologist at Counseling and Psychological Services and the SAVE Administrator, encourages students to attend SAVE events so they can be a part of the conversation about a solution.
“As a therapist, I meet with a lot of students that have been assaulted on and off campus, at parties, in their rooms, etc.” said Dr. Ackerman. “It’s upsetting to learn how little we know about our rights and options.”
For more information, look for the next SAVE event, attend on campus educational programs and promote awareness and prevention tactics. Remember to educate yourself. That’s why we came to college isn’t it?