Check the box!

Is the school year winds down, most of us are in the middle of registering for classes for next fall. If you’re like me, you’re more concerned with whether you’re more likely to get an ‘A’ in ballroom dance or creative writing than with reading the incredible number of screens you have to get through to be able to complete registration. But before you just ignore it all, I want to call your attention to one of the check-off boxes that you’ve probably missed in past semesters. In the midst of the boxes for IUDM, season football tickets and a few other groups, you have the option of clicking on the IUSA Rape Crisis Fund.\nYou might think that it’s a little ridiculous for us to talk about a “Rape Crisis.” We do hear about the occasional sexual assault occurring on campus, but the attacker is usually some crazy person, and besides, it only happens once in a while.\nWe have this perception because the media only covers sensational stories, while many more sexual assaults occur every semester. Some of them are reported to the police, and some of them are reported confidentially to the University, but most of them more likely go unreported. According to a study performed by the U.S. Department of Justice, one in six women will experience a sexual assault during her college career. In this same study the researchers also found that less than 5 percent of women who experienced a sexual assault reported it to law enforcement officials.\nThe IUSA Rape Crisis Fund supports sexual assault awareness education and crisis services in Bloomington. Part of the fund goes to Middle Way House, which is a shelter for victims of sexual assault and domestic violence in town. They also provide On-scene Advocates to victims who choose to have a rape kit done at the hospital. Middle Way House is a non-profit organization that relies on grants and funds like these to support their services.\nThe fund also supports RAISE, a student group in the Office for Women’s Affairs. RAISE stands for Raising Awareness of Interactions in Sexual Encounters. You might have seen a RAISE program in one of your classes, where students come in to talk about sexual assault and consent. RAISE does really important education on campus, and the funding they receive from this check-off box helps it keep that education going.\nChecking the box during your registration will only cost you $3 (although it goes right on your bursar, so it really costs your parents $3) and with that small amount you can really make a difference in the education and support services that are available to students on this campus. It seems like an inconsequential amount, but if 10,000 students checked the box this semester, we’d have $30,000 dollars to use toward improving the sexual health of IU students. So, when you register for classes this semester (and in future semesters), don’t forget to check the box!