'Sex Signals' addresses sexual assault, student life in comedy

For the fifth consecutive year, IU students will have the opportunity to learn about sexual issues college students face through an entertaining and informational show performed by an improvisational comedy group.\n"Sex Signals," a two-man show about dating, sex and acquaintance rape, will be performed at 7 p.m. tonight in the Willkie Auditorium and again at 9 p.m. in the Whittenburger Auditorium in the Indiana Memorial Union. Admission is free, and the first 25 guests at each show will receive the "got consent?" T-shirts that were designed to promote the event. \nDuring the show, the players act out common scenes from bars and parties and show both the male and female perceptions of the signals they are sending that might lead to sexual assault, said Adam Wiszowaty, vice president of programming for the Residence Halls Association and one of the coordinators of the event.\nWiszowaty said the main goal of the program is to make students aware of these issues and show them what they might not be noticing in everyday social settings.\n"Sexual assault and rape are serious issues that we face on this campus everyday," he said. "In order to decrease the occurrence (of these crimes), it is necessary to first educate students about what they are. This program is not a professor just telling you facts but instead shows real life situations that we experience every week." \nWiszowaty also said the program has been very successful in the past. Last year, the two performances combined attracted about 500 students. He attributed the program's impact on students to the actors' efforts in involving the audience in the skits.\n"They ask for pick-up lines and for the common male and female perspective of what's going on in a situation," he said. "When the issue of sexual assault is addressed, the men first see the issue from their perspective, and then they see it as though the female were their sister or their best friend."\nRHA has helped coordinate the program for several years, and this year it is co-sponsoring the event with the Interfraternity Council and the IU Bookstore. Representatives from the Sexual Assault Crisis Service and Office of Women's Affairs will also be at the event to answer questions and talk to attendees.\n"Sometimes people attending the program have experienced a sexual assault, and (emotions) get triggered for them during the program," said Debbie Melloan-Ruiz, a counselor at Sexual Assault Crisis Service. "I'll be on hand to talk to them and lend support."\nMelloan-Ruiz also encouraged students to come to the program and enjoy the unique experience it gives students.\n"I hope that there's a large turnout," she said. "This is an opportunity for students to be entertained but also to learn about issues that affect everyone"