Royal Purple

Issue date: 10/3/07 Section: Arts & Lifestyle

They dance. He buys her a drink. They shoot a game of pool. He buys her a drink. They hold hands. He buys her a drink. They kiss. He buys her a drink. He walks her home, up the stairs even. He helps her into her room. It's just the two of them. His hand smoothes her hair. She says no. He doesn't stop. She says no. It's too late now.

Unfortunately, scenarios like this are all too familiar to college campuses. In fact, every two minutes someone is sexually assaulted. Even more shocking, in 2006, 25 sexual assaults were reported to the Office of Student Life at UW-Whitewater. In 17 of the 25 cases, the offender was an acquaintance.

Jaclyn Arp, a junior at UW-Whitewater, found herself contributing to this statistic. She said an older male student sexually assaulted her. Following the assault she confronted her RA, who in turn notified the campus police. Despite the completion of a rape kit and several heartfelt testimonies, her case was eventually dropped due to lack of evidence.

With these poignant figures in mind, not only is UW-Whitewater making a compelling effort to provide an innovative coping strategy for survivors, but also engage in a pre-emptive approach to prevent assaults.

Marilyn Kile, Wellness and Sexual Assault Prevention coordinator at the University of Health and Counseling Services described the preventative steps made to thwart sexual assault.

The UHCS works hard to host several events during freshman orientation. Presentations such as "Can I Kiss You?" and others given in New Student Seminar classes establish a serious and proactive attitude for students. There is also an annual poster contest encouraging all UW-Whitewater students to design a poster against sexual assault. The contest winner's poster is then displayed throughout campus.

In spite of the university's on-going role to prevent sexual assault occurrences, these acts still take place. However, the programs offered to help students cope with their experience are endless. Free counseling, support groups and examinations are among the services the university provides for students.

"It's really helpful for survivors to be in a group setting," Heather Schultz, a crime victim advocate from the Association for the Prevention of Family Violence in Elkhorn, said. "They feed off of each other and learn what works and what doesn't work. It offers a camaraderie in knowing that others feel the same way."

Schultz works with the UHCS to provide a free and confidential support group for survivors to gain support from other survivors, share their stories and learn healthy ways to cope with pain. Each group is a different topic such as coping, communicating, self-esteem and alcohol relationships.

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