Sexual assault awareness

Familiarity doesn't breed safety when it comes to sexual assault - that's the message underlying a new national study and efforts at UTPB to raise sexual assault awareness.

"More young people are cohabitating and putting themselves in more vulnerable situations," Teresa Sewell, associate vice president for student engagement at UTPB, said. She said this and increasing alcohol abuse on campuses is a nationwide problem.

A recent, national study by the University of Missouri found many college women were unaware of the risk of drug-facilitated sexual assault. The study measured awareness of risk in accepting drinks from male acquaintances.

"It doesn't have to be a stranger - it can still be a case of sexual assault (if it is an acquaintance)," UTPB Housing Director Chermae Morris said.

As the housing director, Morris is trained how to respond when a student approaches her with an assault case.

She said UTPB works hard to raise sexual assault awareness.

The Texas State Penal Code, Chapter 22 states, "A person commits an offense if the person has not consented and the actor knows the other person is unconscious or physically unable to resist, if the actor knows that as a result of mental disease or defect the other person is at the time of the sexual assault incapable either of appraising the nature of the act or resisting."

Morris said just because somebody passed out doesn't mean the victim consented.

The penal code continues, "a person commits an offense if the actor intentionally impaired the other person's power to appraise or control the other person's conduct by administering any substance without the other person's knowledge."

Morris said sexual assault awareness is increasing outside of the college campus with initiatives made by The Safe Place and The Crisis Center - she's working closely with both to continue bringing that awareness to the campus.  

"We do see it is a growing problem," Sewell said.

But she's not sure if that means cases are actually increasing or awareness is bringing people out of the shadows.

She said with new behaviors such as having "friends with benefits" or "casual sex" and higher student populations on campus, it wouldn't be a surprise if abuse cases were increasing.

"Education and awareness are critical to the prevention and detection of this serious crime," according to the Department of Justice's website.

Sewell said she's been talking with colleagues to increase awareness. They recently had a program called "My Dating Space" informing young men and women of the definition of assault.

Morris said The Crisis Center comes out and trains the Resident Assistants in Student Housing. She said they talk about domestic and dating violence.

ASSAULT FACT FILE

>> 1 out of every 6 American women (17.7 million women) either have been raped or have been the target of an attempted rape (14.8 percent completed rape; 2.8 percent attempted rape).

>> Nine of 10 rape victims in 2003 were female.

According to the 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, approximately 10 percent of adolescents nationwide reported being the victim of physical violence at the hands of a romantic partner during the previous year.

Another report said one in five college women will be a victim of attempted or actual sexual assault during their college years.