As Ball State observes its eighth annual Sexual Assault Awareness Week, students will have the opportunity to open up about sexual violence, said Lee Donselaar, chair of Ball State's Sexual Assault Prevention Outreach Team.
"We're trying to help people who have experienced sexual assault to heal," Donselaar said. "And we're also providing programs that will teach prevention."
One in four college women and one in ten college men become victims of rape or attempted rape, but only 5 percent of victims actually report the rape to police, said Patrick Meyer, doctoral intern at the counseling center and one of the week's coordinators.
Sexual violence is a problem that will touch each individual in one way or another, Meyer said.
With the theme "Illuminating the Path to Stop Sexual Violence," Sexual Assault Awareness Week will feature six speeches and presentations as well as one movie night.
Diana Jones of Ball State's Health Center will begin the week with a presentation this afternoon called "Medical Response and Resources for Survivors of Rape."
Jones's speech will address the medical and emotional needs of sexual assault victims as well as provide information about "rape kits" used to gather evidence, Meyer said.
Freelance journalist Lori Robinson, a rape survivor and the author of "I Will Survive," will also address how to cope with sexual abuse in her keynote speech tonight called, "From Hurting to Healing: Sexual Violence and How Everyone Can Work Toward a Rape-Free World."
In Tuesday's presentation, "Psychological Effects and Treatment Approaches for Sexual Assault," Meyer and Robyn Geelhoed, Counseling Center psychologist, will explain to students how sexual assault can affect a victim emotionally.
Ann Delaney of the Julian Center will also present "Sexual Assault: A Crime of Violence Not Passion" Tuesday night.
Meyer said according to statistics, one out of 12 college men are incarcerated for rape each year, but only 16 percent labeled their sexual attack as actual rape.
"There's a pretty big misconception of what's considered rape," Meyer said. "Students need to be more aware of the definite meaning of rape."
Caroline Curlin of the Counseling Center will speak to students Wednesday about how to respond to stalkers in her presentation "Avoid Becoming a 'Target': How to Stop a Stalker."
The Sexual Assault Prevention Outreach Team will also show the film "Sleepers" Wednesday night, which dramatizes the fact that men also experience sexual assault and rape, Donselaar said.
"We're trying to encourage males to become part of the solution versus part of the problem," Donselaar said.
Philosophy professor Julia Corbett Hemeyer will end the week with the speech "Spirituality and Childhood Sexual Abuse: The Harm and the Healing" on Thursday, which will focus on victims who have had experiences with sexual violence as a child, Meyer said.
"The more we get out there and talk about it, the more people will know that they're not alone," Meyer said.
The Sexual Assault Prevention Outreach Team is trying to create a dialogue about this issue so students can be more open about it and change their attitudes toward sexual assault, Donselaar said.
"Sexual assault is not just a women's issue, but it's everyone's issue," he said. "It's very important that we try to reach a wide audience including men and women."
The outreach team has worked hard in coordinating these events to educate students and to increase awareness, he said.
"Anything we can do to reduce the number of sexual assaults, I'm proud to be a part of," Meyer said.
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