You can initiate change on your campus. Students, faculty, and administrators can help develop a safer, more responsive campus environment. Consider the benefits of partnering with campus groups such as a women's resource center, victim assistance office, or other student organizations that may be likely sources for assistance and partnerships.

• Know your rights
  Learn about sexual assault laws such as Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. Read Students Active for Ending Rape's (SAFER) report "Know Your Rights and Your College's Responsibilities: Title IX and Sexual Assault."
  
  
• Become informed
  Read research on campus sexual assault, such as the 2000 report by the U.S. Department of Justice and the 2009 investigative report by the Center for Public Integrity. Read SAFER's fact sheet about campus sexual assault and rape. Read your campus sexual assault policy and become aware of the definition of sexual assault and rape in your state.
  
  
• Work on your campus' sexual assault policy
  SAFER empowers students to organize grassroots strategies to improve their campus sexual assault policy.  You can submit your school's policy to them for initial analysis to see if it is Title IX compliant and if it has the potential to be effective. SAFER provides any interested students with a manual about grassroots organizing around improving a campus sexual assault policy, on site training, and the chance to participate in a SAFER Campus Activist Mentoring Program.
  
  As of December 2009, SAFER and V-Day have launched an exciting Campus Accountability Project, a comprehensive initiative aimed a systematic change on campuses. By 2012, they hope to provide a more accurate nation-wide picture of campus sexual assault policies to students and the media. By the 2012-13 school year, they plan to do outreach to major media so that the “Sexual Assault Response Policy” scores for every school in the nation are integrated into publications’ annual college issues, applying external public relations pressure on schools. Participate in this exciting new program!
  
  
• Bring outside experts to campus
  Outside experts can benefit the college community by giving lectures, offering special programs, and providing staff training.
  
  
  • Katie Koestner and other speakers from Campus Outreach Services: Koestner is one of the foremost authorities on the subject of date rape, appearing on Oprah, the cover of Time magazine, and in countless other national media outlets. Her story of being sexually assaulted while a freshman at the College of William and Mary (VA) was the subject of an HBO docudrama “No Visible Bruises: The Katie Koestner Story.” Koestner has authored two books on the subject and given countless presentations to universities to raise awareness about and empower victims of sexual assault.  She is affiliated with Campus Outreach Services, which also offers other forms of programming universities can bring to their campus to help educate their students to prevent sexual assault.
    
    
  • Don McPherson: McPherson was an All-American Quarterback for the Syracuse Orange, and after retiring from pro football he became an outspoken activist in the prevention of sexual assault and domestic violence. McPherson has testified before Congress twice on the subject and provides a number of seminars and lectures annually throughout North America.
    
    
  • Byron Hurt: Hurt is an activist and filmmaker who passionately advocates for reducing and preventing sexual violence by rethinking gender roles and examining society’s influence on these issues. Hurt produced the film “Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes,” which explored stereotypes of manhood in Hip-Hop and in a nuanced manner, analyzed Hip-Hop’s impact on both society and its listeners. Hurt can provide keynote addresses and facilitate workshops on the subject matter.
    
    
  • Jackson Katz: Katz is an educator, author and filmmaker who is internationally recognized for his groundbreaking work in the field of gender violence prevention education with men and boys. He has lectured on hundreds of college and high school campuses. He is the co-founder of the Mentors In Violence Prevention (MVP) program, the leading gender violence prevention initiative in professional and college athletics.
    
    
  • Ben Atherton-Zeman: Zeman is a spokesperson for the National Organization for Men Against Sexism and is a public speaker on issues of violence prevention. He often performs a unique one-man play "Voices of Men," which deals with issues like sexual assault and consent, dating and domestic violence, and sexual harassment and objectification.
    
    
  • Diane Rosenfeld: Rosenfeld is a lecturer at Harvard University Law School with expertise on Title IX and gender violence. She is considered an expert in the field and can bring a sexual respect program to campuses, train and advise administrators and faculty about their campus sexual assault policy, and lecture on the topic.
    

Organizations that can help identify speakers include

• Students Active for Ending Rape (SAFER) — a nonprofit organization committed to empowering students to hold colleges accountable for sexual assault in their on- and off-campus communities. Programs like SAFER develop leaders, expand dialogue, and create alternatives.
  
  
• National Consortium for Academics and Sports — offers a Mentors in Violence Prevention Program that provides varying programs depending on the needs of the institution. It requests a minimum of 14 hours of gender violence prevention training
  
  
• Enhance student outreach, prevention, and education initiatives
  Student speakers during freshman orientation, interactive theater troupes, and peer educator programs can promote education and safety. The University of California, Berkeley and Baruch College offer examples. Screening documentaries can also raise awareness and provide education on campuses. The documentary Breaking the Silence, a production by Rowan University students Corry Jean and James Dowd, focuses on incidents of acquaintance rape through interviews.
  
  
• Bring training to your campus
  
  
  • Sex Signals is a unique, refreshing forum for students to discuss the realities of dating violence. Often, discussions of sexual and dating violence evoke strong hostile reactions from men, and women can find some programming uncomfortable and even blaming women for past experiences of violence. Sex Signals, however, combines improvisational and interactions with the audience to recreate the “typical” college dating experience, highlighting often confusing issues such as how to ask for consent and how to label and experience of sexual violence as rape. Check out this video for a sample of this nuanced and enlightening programming.
    
    
  • One in Four Training offers both a men’s and a women’s program which aim to prevent sexual violence. The men’s program focuses on questioning pervasive myths surrounding sexual violence and informing men on what role they can play in preventing violence. The women’s program informs women on how to intervene in high-risk situations and the resources available and means by which to help survivors of rape (this latter component is also in the men’s program).
    
    
• Attend a training or conference on campus sexual assault
  
  
  • Men Can Stop Rape offers a variety of training opportunities and conferences on the subject of sexual assault prevention. Their primary focus is on educating men and informing them on their role in reducing the instances of sexual assault. 
    
    
  • The National Organization for Men Against Sexism holds an annual conference on Men And Masculinity, with social change and prevention of sexism being a prominent theme.
    
    
  • The National Sexual Violence Resource Center holds an annual conference to enlighten individuals on sexual violence intervention and prevention. The program also provides advanced training opportunities for those who are already well-versed in the subject of violence prevention.
    
    
  • Often, regional and local organizations aimed at preventing domestic and sexual violence in your community will have programs and trained facilitators who can lead workshops, seminars, and other programs to educate students on the realities of sexual assault and dating violence.
    
    
• Get men involved
  See below for several suggestions on ways to get men involved in addressing and ending sexual assault on campus.

1. Read 10 things men can do to stop rape and Todd Denny's book Unexpected Allies: Men Who Stop Rape
   
   
2. Become active in a student organization dedicated to preventing the issue (such as One in Four), or if your campus does not have such and organization, start one. Men Can Stop Rape, Inc offers an enlightening Campus Strength Training Program to aid in the development and expansion of University Student Groups aimed at preventing sexual violence. Students Active for Ending Rape (SAFER) offers similar resources and support.
   
   
3. Challenge both overt and subtle instances of sexism on Campus. Whether it’s questioning the theme of the all too common “CEOs and Business Hoes,” party, or calling out someone for making sexist jokes, simply speaking up is a big step in making an environment more conducive for gender equity. Indeed, research indicates that an overwhelming majority of men are uncomfortable with sexist attitudes but falsely feel that others won’t agree with them when they speak out against them.
   
   
4. Enhance your knowledge on how to help a survivor of sexual or dating violence. Around one in four college aged women will experience attempted or completed sexual violence during their time in college. Around 1 in 10 men will be victims of sexual assault in their lifetime. If a friend ever turns to you for support, it is essential that you be there and know how to support him/her in their time of need and aware.
   
   
5. Don’t joke about rape or sexual assault.
   
   
6. If your school offers it, take a Women’s Studies Course and educate yourself about the barriers women face to equality.

• Learn self-defense
  Many colleges offer self-defense classes and some even provide physical education credit. In these courses women learn to protect themselves and different ways to say "no."
  

 Return to sexual assault on campus