UpDate - Vol. 16, No. 4
September 26, 1996
Varied events look at sexual assault issues

     Sexual Assault Awareness Week, scheduled from Oct. 3-9 on
the University's campus in Newark, includes a variety of
activities designed to heighten the awareness of students,
faculty, staff and the community about the issues surrounding
sexual assault.
     Included will be workshops, lectures, dramatic
presentations, a "Take Back the Night" rally, a campus safety
walk, videos and discussions, self-defense demonstrations and a
non-alcoholic tailgate.
     Informational tables will be set up all week in the Trabant
University Center, and buttons and T-shirts will be distributed
throughout the week at specific events. All programs are free and
open to the public, and unless otherwise noted, take place in the
Trabant University Center.
     
     Thursday, Oct. 3

     The week begins on Thursday, Oct. 3, in Room 219 with
Finding Out, a video that captures moments in the lives of
several college students affected by alcohol and abuse. A
discussion will follow.
     From 3:30-5 p.m. in Rooms 209/211, interested persons are
invited to come behind the closed doors of the University's
student judicial process to participate in decision-making
involved in a case of alleged campus date rape.
     From 7-8:30 p.m., Richard Keeling, expert on campus health
issues, will speak on campus and community connections that have
an impact on student health issues in the context of how they
live, relate and make choices. This program will be held in
Pearson Hall Auditorium.
     
     Friday, Oct. 4

     From noon-1:30 p.m., Friday, Oct. 4, in Room 209/211, a
panel discussion will focus on "Issues of Personal Safety:
Diverse Perspectives." The discussion will deal with safety
issues as they affect women, the lesbian, gay and bisexual
community; persons with disabilities; and persons of color. From
3:30-5 p.m., in the same location, the first of three Rape
Aggression Defense System demonstrations will be offered. Others
are scheduled on Wednesday, Oct. 9, from noon-1:30 p.m. in Room
209 and from 7-8:30 p.m., in Pencader Commons I.
     Campus and community members are invited to rally at 6:30
p.m., Friday, for the annual Take Back the Night Rally. Starting
with speakers and music at Old College, participants will walk
through the campus and local community. The evening will conclude
back at Old College. Ribbons, candles and T-shirts will be
distributed.
     
     Saturday, Oct. 5

     On Saturday, Oct. 5, a nonalcoholic tailgate party will be
held from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the north end zone of Delaware
Stadium, prior to the Delaware/Boston University football game.
Free refreshments, information, T-shirts and buttons will be
available.
     
     Sunday, Oct. 6

     From 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 6, a Kids'
Triathlon and Anti-Violence Rally, entitled "Let's Give Peace a
Chance," will be held at the Newark YWCA, 316 South College Ave.
     At 7 p.m., an interfaith service is scheduled in Daugherty
Hall in the Trabant University Center, and the Delaware
Undergraduate Student Congress will hold a Campus Safety Walk.
From 8:30-9:30 p.m., the Finding Out video and discussion will be
repeated in the Warner Residence Hall lounge.
     
     Monday, Oct. 7

     On Monday, Oct. 7, Power Plays, an interactive theatre
group, will be featured. The group will present powerful, theatre-
style depictions of scenes leading to dating violence and rape.
Throughout Power Plays performances, characters interact with
audience members to answer questions about the dynamics surfacing
in each scene.
     The Power Plays program on dating violence will be held from
noon-1:30 p.m., in Multipurpose Room A, and the acquaintance rape
performance will be held from 7-9 p.m. in Pearson Hall
Auditorium.
     
     Tuesday, Oct. 8

     From noon-1:30 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 8, in Rooms 209/211,
"Community Partnerships Against Violence" will feature Col.
Sherry Freebery, New Castle County Police, Rose Killian, Delaware
Attorney General's Office, and Maj. Lawrence Thornton, Public
Safety, presenting timely information about recent changes in
legislation in support of victims and anti-violence measures in
Delaware.
     From 7-8:30 p.m. in the Trabant University Center Theatre,
Tom Schiff, independent consultant and former executive director
of the Men's Resource Center of Western Massachusetts, will
present "Men as Allies." The program identifies individual and
collective measures that men can take to challenge violence. It
also will help men to increase their awareness about myths and
realities surrounding rape and sexual harassment.
     
     Wednesday, Oct. 9

     The week concludes on Wednesday, Oct. 9, in Room 219, with
"Beyond Sexual Assault: Issues in Healing," a discussion of the
potential short- and long-term effects of sexual assault. The
program will be run by Jane Gilbert, counseling psychologist at
the Center for Counseling and Student Development; Connie Dancu,
from the Center for Cognitive and Behavior Therapy in Wilmington;
and Nancy Nutt, coordinator of Wellspring at UD.
     For more information on Sexual Assault Awareness Week, call
the Office of Women's Affairs at 831-8063 or the Office of the
Dean of Students at 831-2116.
                                                     -Beth Thomas