UpDate - Vol. 13, No. 3, Page 10
September 16, 1993
Annual Sexual Assault Awareness Week Sept. 27-30

     The University of Delaware's annual Sexual Assault Awareness Week, a
week dedicated to discussion on all aspects of sexual assault, is scheduled
this year from Sept. 27-30 on the Newark campus.
     Scheduled events this year include a talk by a nationally recognized
expert on dating violence, as well as discussions of partner abuse in
same-sex relationships, multicultural rape education, sexual
miscommunication, violence against women and the law's response, child
sexual abuse, healing after assault and personal safety.
     In addition to videos, lectures and discussions, a
resource/information table will be set up daily from noon-4 p.m. in the
concourse of the Perkins Student Center.
     The table will be staffed to provide information about Sexual Assault
Awareness Week programs. Materials on a variety of sexual assault topics
and resource information on related campus and community services also will
be available.
     All events are free and open to the public and take place in the
Perkins Student Center and in Mitchell Hall.
     For more information, call the Office of Women's Affairs at 831-8063.
     The schedule of events includes:

Monday, Sept. 27

     Workshop: "Partner Abuse in Same-Sex Relationships," 1:30-3 p.m.,
Ewing Room, Perkins Student Center. Using material drawn from her book,
"Violent Betrayal: Partner Abuse in Lesbian Relationships," Claire M.
Renzetti will lead this workshop. Myths surrounding same-sex relationships
will be addressed, as well as causal factors contributing to sexual
violence and other forms of abusive behavior. Prevention and strategies for
seeking help will be presented. Renzetti is professor and chairperson of
the Department of Sociology and director of the Graduate Criminal Justice
Department at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia,
     Workshop: "Sister/Sister," 3:30-5 p.m., Ewing Room, Perkins Student
Center. Elena M. DiLapi and Gabrielle Clay, director and consultant,
respectively, of the Penn Women's Center at the University of Pennsylvania
in Philadelphia, will address similarities and differences of perspective
of rape within multiracial communities. Barriers and bridges to building
multicultural rape education will be explored through facilitated small
group discussion and interaction.
     Live performance: "Mixed Signals," 7-8:30 p.m., Mitchell Hall. Actors
from the University's Professional Theatre Training Program (PTTP) will
join with members of the Sexual Office Support Group (SOS) to present a
series of vignettes that focus on sexual miscommunication, attitudes,
expectations and assertiveness in relationships. Each scene will help the
audience explore the mixed sexual messages between college men and women.
The audience also will have opportunities to question the characters in the
vignettes.

Tuesday, Sept. 28

     Panel discussion: "Violence Against Women: The Law's Response," 1:30-3
p.m., Rodney Room, Perkins Student Center. Panelists will include Maj.
Sherry L. Sczubelek, commander of the Rape Task Force, New Castle County
Police Department; Rosemary Killian, senior deputy attorney general in the
Domestic Violence Prosecution Unit of Delaware's Department of Justice;
Melanie Sloan, legal counsel with the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee; and
Timothy Brooks, dean of students at the University. They will provide a
variety of perspectives and experiences on violence against women and the
law. Among the topics to be discussed are legal reforms that have been
implemented at the federal, state and local levels and what else needs to
be done.
     Panel discussion: "Sexual Assault: Every Woman's Problem," 3:30-5
p.m., Ewing Room, Perkins Student Center. Serving as panelists will be
moderator Kathleen Turkel, assistant professor, and Jessica Schiffman,
program coordinator, both in the Women's Studies Program at the University;
Donna Tuites, coordinator of the Office of Women's Affairs; Carol Post,
coordinator of the Victim Advocacy Program in the Domestic Violence
Program. Sexual assault and the threat of sexual violence affects all
women. This panel will present some basic information about various types
of sexual assault including rape, partner abuse and sexual harassment and
will discuss the concept of sexual terrorism.

Wednesday, Sept. 29

     Discussion: "Child Sexual Abuse: What You Should Know and What You Can
Do," noon-1:30 p.m., Ewing Room, Perkins Student Center. Joann Kassees,
program director of Delawareans United to Prevent Child Abuse, will discuss
the "silent" epidemic of sexual abuse of children by family members and
others, how and why child sexual abuse happens, what we can do to prevent
it and how victims/survivors can find help.
     Discussion: "Beyond Sexual Assault: Issues in Healing," 1:30-3 p.m.,
Collins Room, Perkins Student Center. Leading this discussion will be Kim
Ewing and Leslie Orysh, counseling psychologists at the University's Center
for Counseling and Student Development; Adina Ruvell-Mattes, program
coordinator/counselor at Cecil County Community College, Elkton, Md., and
an SOS member at the University of Delaware; and Constance Dancu, program
director of the Crime Victims Treatment Program at the Medical College
Hospitals in Philadelphia. Many survivors of sexual assault experience a
range of after-effects. What are some of the potential short- and long-term
effects? Which areas of life are most affected? How do survivors decide
when to get help and whom to talk to? What are the components of healing?
Available healing resources will be discussed, including individual and
group counseling.
     Discussion: "Warning! Dating May Be Hazardous to Your Health," 3:30-5
p.m., Rodney Room, Perkins Student Center. Physical or sexual violence
occur in more than half of all relationships and arise from dating and
other social situations. Nationally recognized expert in the area of dating
violence Claudette McShane, an assistant professor of social work at
Carroll College in Waukesha, Wisc., will share information from her book
and discuss how to recognize the danger signs, how to decrease the risks
and where to turn for help.
     Video/Discussion: "Playing the Game," 7-9 p.m., Rodney Room, Perkins
Student Center. Mark thought he'd had a terrific evening....Suzanne thought
that she'd been raped. Who's perception is accurate? Robin G. Sawyer, of
the Department of Health Education at the University of Maryland and a
consultant to national fraternity and sorority organizations, will present
his nationally acclaimed date rape video and explore the dynamic of
sexuality and communication in a manner intended to provide a meaningful
discussion between college men and women.

Thursday, Sept. 30

     Video/Discussion: "Campus Rape," 10-11:30 a.m., Collins Room, Perkins
Student Center. Facilitated by a member of SOS, this documentary-style
video, hosted by television stars Susan Dey and Corbin Bernsen, examines
campus rape and its impact through interviews with four college students,
their friends and family.
     Lecture: "Personal Safety: Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention ,"
noon-1 p.m., Rodney Room, Perkins Student Center. Karen Healy, director of
CONTACT DELAWARE/Rape Crisis Program, will focus upon the connections
between personal empowerment, personal safety and sexual assault
prevention. She will discuss sexual assault myths, why men rape and ways to
avoid potential sexual assault situations.

                              * * *

     Sexual Assault Awareness Week is sponsored by the Solutions to Sexual
Violence Task Force, with funding support from the Commission to Promote
Racial and Cultural Diversity, the Commission on the Status of Women, the
Dean of Students Office, the Department of Pubic Safety, the Fraternal
Order of Police, the Office of Housing and Residence Life, the Office of
the President, the Office of the Senior Vice President, the Office of the
Vice President for Employee Relations, the Office of the Vice President for
Student Life, the Office of Women's Affairs, the Perkins Student Center and
Student Health Services.
     The Solutions to Sexual Violence Task Force includes University
students and representatives from the Office of Admissions, Campus
Ministries, the Center for Black Culture, the Center for Counseling and
Student Development, the Commission on the Status of Women, CONTACT
DELAWARE/Rape Crisis Program, the Dean of Students Office, the Department
of Public Safety, the Inter-Fraternity Council, the Lesbian, Gay and
Bisexual Student Union, the Office of Housing and Residence Life, the
Office of the Vice President for Student Life, the Office of Women's
Affairs, the Panhellenic Council, the Publications Office, the Resident
Student Association, the Sex Education Task Force, the Sexual Offense
Support Group (SOS), the Student Health Service and the Women's Studies
Program.
     Questions about specific events should be directed to Donna Tuites,
program coordinator in the University's Office of Women's Affairs, at
831-8063.