Group ‘RAISEs’ awareness of sexual assault

In a country where every two and a half minutes someone is a victim of sexual assault, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, one group on campus is fighting back against unwanted sexual encounters and promoting safe, consensual sex.\nThe group Raising Awareness of Interactions in Sexual Encounters focuses on three main tasks, including performing the skit “He Said … She Said,” participating in events all over campus and performing the tri-annual condom distribution, according to the pamphlet.\nThe next condom distribution will be Thursday, April 19, said Mari Kermit-Canfield, RAISE coordinator. In order to participate, all a student needs to do is wear a red T-shirt and show up to Memorial Hall by 11 p.m. If a student would like to attend, he or she should e-mail Kermit-Canfield ahead of time at RAISE@indiana.edu.\nThe tri-annual condom distribution usually includes three groups of students who hand out condoms by visiting bars and walking the streets. They hand out between 1,500 and 3,000 condoms in one night, Kermit-Canfield said. Mike Raunick, vice president of RAISE, hopes to pass out about 5,000 condoms.\n“Some people make jokes about it, like ‘Sorry, I can only use a magnum’ or ‘That one won’t fit me,’” Raunick said. “But the best reaction is when people ask why we are handing them out because then we get to explain.”\nRAISE is trying to approach the situation from a pro-sex angle, as long as it is consensual, Raunick said. The main point of handing out the condoms is to achieve the goal of promoting safe, consensual sexual acts.\nThe group of volunteers will be handing out two condoms per person that read “Don’t Guess, Get A Yes! (Always ask your partner if they want sex).” \nOne other way that RAISE promotes safe consensual sex, other than the condom distribution, is by performing the skit “He Said ... She Said”. \n“He Said … She Said” is a dialogue between members of the opposite sex, which exposes both of their viewpoints before, during and after the unwanted sexual encounter, according to the RAISE Training and Resource Manual. It is a skit that gets performed by request for certain classes, such as human sexuality, psychology, criminal justice and public health, and has just recently been performed for a handful of Greek houses, said Raunick.\n“He Said … She Said” is a good program for men to get involved in, Raunick said. \n“A large majority of sexual assaults are committed by men,” he said. “If a guy can go to these meetings and be a part of this group, then it will be easier for us to get the point across to other guys. The message is more powerful that way.”\nAnd the message seems to be getting across to a greater majority of people every year, said Cara Berg, president of RAISE.\n“It gets more interesting each year,” she said. “More and more people know more and more statistics and definitions, which means that they are getting educated on the subject.”\nThese statistics include that one out of every six college women is the victim of a sexual assault or an attempted sexual assault, according to the pamphlet. \nOne of the best ways to prevent sexual assault is to “use the buddy system,” according to the RAISE Training and Resource Manual.\n“If you are a girl, you need to watch your friends,” Raunick said. “If you are boy, you need to watch your guys and make sure that something is stopped before it even gets started.”\nFor more information about RAISE, visit the Web site at www.indiana.edu/~owa/raise.shtml. For immediate counseling or psychological services, call the Sexual Assault Crisis Service’s 24-hour line at 855-8900.