Friday August 31, 2001

Victims most commonly attacked at homes, parties

Women must be especially careful during the first weeks of the school year to minimize their chances of being victimized by a sexual assault, sources dealing with campus safety said.

With fraternities gearing up for tonight's Bid Night parties, both women and men must be wary of activities that could lead to these incidents.

"Some risk can be reduced by having a plan with friends," said Irene Anderson, director of the University of Arizona Oasis Center for sexual assault and relationship violence.

Tonight's parties - which celebrate the end of Fraternity Rush Week and welcome new members - present a higher than usual risk for women to be victimized, said Tony Daykin, chief of the University of Arizona Police Department.

"Bid Night ranks right up there" with the most dangerous times for sexual assaults to occur, he said. "The reality is that a lot (of the parties) involve excessive use of alcohol. The environment is right for this type of activity to take place."

Freshman women should be especially cautious, Daykin said, because men sometimes try to take advantage of the fact that new students are unfamiliar with college life. It doesn't take much for someone trying to assault them to convince them that "this is what college is like," he said.

Erin Hirsch, a communication senior who works with the Women's Health Advocacy Program, which serves as a referral system for sexual assault victims, agrees that freshmen must be especially cautious.

"People are na•ve their first few months on campus," Hirsch said.

WHAP - which is made up of two "advocates" from each of UA's nearly 20 sororities - presented a program earlier this week to all of the women rushing sororities this semester, warning them of the dangers of sexual assault. And, she said, the risk exists far beyond tonight's parties.

"We tell them to be careful when they go out jogging," she said. "This stuff happens everywhere. I watched it happen when I was in the dorm."

The myth that most rapes occur in dark, unlit areas is not true, Anderson said. Rather, women are most at risk at home, at parties or on dates.

To combat the possibility of sexual assault, Anderson suggests that women going out - especially to parties with alcohol - have a designated driver, make decisions about how much to drink and agree to arrive and leave together.

But in 98 percent of sexual assault cases, men commit the crime, and Daykin said that the bulk of the responsibility to prevent sexual assault is theirs - consent from a woman is not sufficient to ensure that a crime does not occur.

He said women who are drugged, under the influence of alcohol or otherwise mentally incapacitated are not capable of making a decision to have sex.

"If you signed a contract under those circumstances, it wouldn't be honored," Daykin said. "If you question whether you have consent, stop."

Anderson said men should also avoid having sex while drunk and pay attention to cues that should warn them to stop. She said that if the woman appears tearful or upset or doesn't answer questions, it's time to stop.

Fraternities hosting parties also take precautions to reduce the chances of sexual assault. Mike Moran, president of the Interfraternity Council, said that IFC works with UAPD to ensure there is extra protection for these parties.

"We make sure there are plenty of cops out," he said.

Moran, an economics senior, also said there has not been a single reported incident of sexual assault involving a fraternity member during the time that he has been with IFC.

"We've been very successful in avoiding it," Moran said, who cites a greek leadership education class - in which students from the greek system undergo training and speak to various chapters about how to avoid sexual assaults - as a major reason for the program's success.

According to UAPD statistics, only five incidents of sexual assault have been reported campuswide in the last two years.

However, Anderson said, the Oasis Center does not always advise rape victims to report the crime to the police. They make recommendations case-by-case, based on the victim's level of social support, the possibility of the case going public and several other variables.

"It's not for us as counselors to impose solutions," she said.

However, if a victim does want to file a report, she should do so within 72 hours of the assault and before showering or changing clothes. She also said that victims of sexual assault can contact the Oasis Center for confidential reporting from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, or call the Southern Arizona Center Against Sexual Assault for 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week reporting.