The importance of the 'checked box'

Tragedy strikes. An unidentified man comes out of the shadows of a campus building and sexually assaults a woman on her walk home from the library. \nElsewhere, tragedy of a different kind strikes. Grief-stricken parents and siblings from Maine to Montana discover their children have fallen ill with leukemia and will need \nintensive treatments.\nWe ask you to keep these tragic incidents in mind the next two weeks when you begin to register for classes. The connection is odd, we know, but by taking a few minutes and donating a few dollars, you can help a lot more than you think. Before you finalize registration, OneStart will give you the opportunity to support charitable organizations that have seen a decline in donations since the implementation of the PeopleSoft computer software.\nBy simply clicking on the IUSA Rape Crisis fund box, you can support continued education and the Middle Way House rape crisis services, including a 24-hour crisis line and an on-scene advocacy program. As an editorial board, we have continually highlighted the urgency in addressing matters of sexual \nassault and rape. These problems occur on our campus and on campuses nationwide.\nAccording to statistics provided by Penn State University, 25 percent of college women are victims of rape or attempted rape. The same source maintained that only 5 percent of the victims reported the crime to the police or went to get help at a crisis center. \nThat is a ridiculously low number, and victims need your support. In order to decrease the number of assaults and increase the number of reports, organizations that use money from the rape crisis fund teach women tactics and warning signals for how to avoid sexual assault.\nIn the same regard, the IU Dance Marathon annually gives money and support to fight cancer and other terminal illnesses at Riley Hospital for Children.\nWhile it might be tough for people to schedule the time to campaign and volunteer for these causes, they can at least donate money to them. Giving a few dollars per semester to both causes is not a lot of money for one student, but with the thousands of other donations from other students, it slowly and surely advances two causes which have had an impact on and a relation to campus life.\nWith that in mind when registering, before you decide what type of "easy class" you want to take next semester, think about the importance of service in the life of campus-involved students. Everyone should take advantage of the opportunity to contribute money to help improve the safety, awareness and health of both IU students and children in the Indiana community. \nThink about giving courage to the victim of an unreported assault. Think about providing treatment to a child who might never see a college classroom.\nIt is only a click away.