Weekly Spotlight | What were all those one-in-four shirts about?

Chelsea Mitamura Staff Writer

On Tuesday, April 22, students wearing bright yellow “1 in 4” t-shirts dotted Vassar’s campus, prompting many a bewildered stare. The “1 in 4” t-shirts represent the one in four college women who report being victims of rape or attempted rape. Students wore them as a part of Sexual Assault Awareness (SAA) Week, a week of events that highlights sexual and emotional abuse that is co-sponsored by Counseling and Assistance in Response to Rape and Exploitive Sexual Activity (CARES) and Sexual Assault Violence Prevention (SAVP). The week began April 20 and will end April 25.

CARES is an on-campus, student-run, peer-listening service for anyone in need of confidential conversation or resource assistance. SAVP is a program run out of Metcalf that, according to its Web site, “coordinates student and faculty interests around issues of sexual assault, stalking and violence in order to increase awareness of issues of violence against women, establish new campus-wide policies, protocols around these issues and work with campus and community resources to prevent further incidences of violence.”

These two organizations also have other events planned for SAA Week. Two males-only discussions will also be held this week to discuss ways in which men can get involved in domestic violence and rape prevention. “This year is our first year with the men’s discussion groups,” said CARES member Sarah Bane ’10. It’s a common misconception that men are not raped, yet three percent of college men report being victims.

“There’s also a film screening of Boys Don’t Cry that CARES is co-sponsoring with the Queer Coalition of Vassar College (QCVC) and the Women’s Center. Plus CARES study breaks,” explained Katherine Fussner ’09.

According to the non-profit “1-4”’s Sexual Assault Statistics, up to 84 percent of rape survivors knew their attacker prior to the incident. One in five high school students had experienced forced sex, and 20 percent of men admit that they have been so sexually aroused that even if a woman did not consent to sex, they would go through with the act regardless.

CARES aspires to change these statistics and provide a means through which people can feel comfortable talking about their experiences. In addition to SAA Week, CARES is currently running a flier program entitled “Is This Okay?” The fliers portray people being touched against their will and, according to Fussner, are meant to convey the message that “Your body is your own; you should always have the right to say what kind of contact is O.K. and what is not.” The fliers aim to make people aware of the boundaries of comfort between acceptable touching and unacceptable touching.

CARES runs workshops at Arlington High School on dating violence. The group is also hoping to incorporate permanent pink folders in random bathroom stalls to consistently fill with CARES handouts and information.

“We’re always evolving and working on ways to gain awareness. We just want people to constantly see the name,” said Abby Alexanian ’11.

She went on to explain, “A lot of people know of [CARES] but do not feel comfortable calling. People shouldn’t hesitate to call if they’re in an uncomfortable situation. If it feels like a big deal, then it is a big deal.”

In the past 10 years, the National Crime Victimization Survey reported that only around 30 percent of rape survivors tell the police. Other organizations estimate that the percentage could be as low as five percent.

CARES members urged anyone concerned for themselves or friends to pick up the phone. The 18-person group covers all issues from dating violence to emotional abuse, and runs 24 hours a day seven days a week. Members are all trained by the same process and are responsible for taking the calls on a rotating basis.

In such an emotionally charged atmosphere, group members often offer support not only to callers, but also to each other. CARES is non-hierarchical, so every member has an equal say in making decisions and determining policies. The group also often discusses personal issues of all natures and is constantly available to the community and to one another.

“We ‘CARES’ each other!” said Alexanian. The group uses the verb “to CARES” as a way of describing non-judgmental, sincere listening. “Everyone is really there for each other because it’s also hard to be on the listening end. It’s great to have such a genuinely concerned group of people,” she said.

To contact the service, Vassar students need only dial extension 7333 and ask for a CARES counselor. The counselor on-call will be paged and return the call as soon as possible.