The period between the beginning of the fall semester and Thanksgiving break has come to be known as the “Red Zone.” This is due to the majority of sexual assaults on college campuses occurring during this time.
The fall semester hosts many of the pivotal college events on the FSU campus. With football, frat rushes and Halloween to keep everyone occupied and partying, it is important to be aware of these heightened atmospheres as assault cases are especially prominent during this time.
While students may feel an overarching worry about safety during this time, there are several resources available to students to help them keep themselves and others safe during the party season.
Anti-Violence Alliance (AVA) Violence Prevention Coordinator, Sydney Mingori, explained why the Red Zone exists.
“People are just getting into college, trying to establish their schedules and get involved in a whole bunch of different things,” Mingori said. “So that does mean, unfortunately, that there are people who are looking to prey on those things.”
One of the best ways for students to stay safe during the Red Zone is to educate themselves about what to do in uncomfortable situations.
AVA Staff Assistant Collinee Butler mentioned some ways to be proactive in these situations.
“It allows people to implement more buddy systems and makes more students aware,” Butler said. “Specifically, freshmen. If they know about it, they can know they’re more at risk for it.”
No one wants the thought of sexual assault looming over their head while trying to have a fun time, but it is the unfortunate reality.
The easiest way to prevent a situation of this manner is to be informed about consent. The idea of “no means no” seems simple in theory; however, many still struggle with the concept. Consent should be the first thing anyone discusses in a sexual encounter.
Mingori offered up a few examples of when consent is most important.
“Assuming a yes when somebody isn’t saying anything, or while they’re under the influence of drugs or alcohol,” Mingori said. “Or if they’re just straight up unconscious, they can’t say yes to that.”
According to Rainn.org, female college students are at three times the risk of experiencing sexual violence. While male students do not see the same amount of risk, they are not exempt from these statistics. 6.8% of male undergraduate students experience sexual assault to some level.
Anyone could go through this. It is important that we know what to do to get out of a situation or prevent it in the future.
Butler ran through a few of the “five D’s” that AVA uses to intervene in a potentially harmful situation.
“A ‘Distract’ method is when you see somebody who looks uncomfortable, and just going up and being like ‘Hey, can you show me where the bathroom is?” Butler said. “‘Delegate’ is maybe having that one friend who is a little more intimidating or comfortable handling it.”
Another important part of this is “Delay.” Following up and comforting a victim after an event. Witnessing or hearing about these things can be scary, but imagine how they are feeling. Trusting someone enough to share that kind of information is hard, so listen and accept what they have to say.
Rainn.org says only about 1 in 5 people will actually report what they have gone through to law enforcement. Many people believe it is something they have to deal with on their own or that it is not important enough, neither of which is ever the case.
The AVA provides many resources for students and survivors of sexual violence. The organization is offering several campus events to educate students during the Red Zone time period, which can be found on the campus events calendar.