Discussion List for campus-based and allied personnel working to end gender-based violence on campus.

[Kristin Handler <>]

I did some digging in several of the studies and guides I consulted when
creating our FT sexual violence prevention position and program goals--thought
the list might like to know where some of the claims about the higher risk for
first-year women have been made--or not made:

The NIJ report "Sexual Victimization of College Women" (2000) does not 
identify
being a first year student as one of the four factors that increase risk of
victimization (23).  Interesting that this extensive statistical study doesn't
discuss the red zone idea at all.

"Acquaintance Rape of College Students" by Rana Sampson (2002 --published by 
US
DOJ/Community Oriented Policing Services) claims "College students are the 
most
vulnerable to rape during the first few weeks of the freshman and sophomore
years.  In fact, the first few days of the freshman year are the riskiest,
limiting the value of any rape prevention programs that begin after that" (7).
This guide cites two sources for these claims:  Ostrander, C. and J. Schwartz,
Crime at College: The Student Guide to Personal Safety (1994) and Schwartz, M.
and W. De Keseredy, Sexual Assault on the College Campus:  The Role of Male 
Peer
Support (1997).   The second book does not offer any quantitative data about 
the
prevalence of rape in the first months of college (see page 150 for their
discussion).  I haven't read the first source.

The NACUA publication, "Aquaintance Rape on Campus: A Model for Institutional
Response" (1993--currently being updated) states, "Because acquaintance rape
victims are most likely to be a freshman female [sic], newly arrived on 
campus,
this group should be one of the primary targets of educational efforts" (8). 
It
cites Aizenman and Kelley, "The Incidence of Violence and Acquaintance Rape in
Dating Relationships among College Men and Women," 29 J.C. Student Dev. 305, 
307
(1988), but the article does not directly support this contention.  The pages
cited contain statistics concerning the frequency of physically "violent
behavior in a romantic relationship" among male and female high school seniors
(11%) and male and female first year college students (27%).  The closest the
Aizenman and Kelley article comes to supporting NACUA's contention is when 
they
cite a 1984 article by Rappaport and Burkhart that found that "more than 22% 
of
all the freshman and sophomore women in their study had been forced to have 
sex
against their will" (306).  There is nothing about women "newly arrived on
campus."

If anyone learns of reliable stats about the red zone, I hope they will post
them.  I appreciate Susan and Shirley's comments and certainly agree that,
whether or not the red zone can be shown to exist statistically, we need to
think about what unintended messages this concept sends to students, and to
educate at all levels.

Kristin Handler
Director, Lehigh University Women's Center
UC Room C207, 29 Trembley Drive
Bethlehem, PA 18015
phone: (610) 758-5647
fax: (610) 758-6132




> Today's Topics:
>    1. the red zone (Susan Marine)
>    2. Re: the red zone (Shirley Banks)
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Date: Fri, 06 Aug 2004 12:35:14 -0400
> From: Susan Marine 
> <>
> To: 
> 
> Subject: the red zone
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>
> Colleagues,
>
> In terms of the debate about 'the red zone', I think it's *really*
> important that we, who commonly serve as the spokespeople for ending
> violence on our campuses, do not continue to spread this bit of urban
> legend until someone has documented, in *some* way, that it's actually true.
>
> The reasons are probably obvious, but to me it's more than just making sure
> we don't spread false information as a truism, which damages our
> credibility. It's also about the fact that many of us spend the lion's
> share of our energy reaching first year students with prevention and risk
> reduction information, neglecting the other three or more years we have
> access to our students and opportunities for creating deeper dialogue with
> them about interpersonal violence. I worry that it also sends the message
> to upperclass students that this is an issue of naivete' and inexperience,
> and once they cross the threshold into 'adulthood' (i.e. sophomore year)
> they don't need to worry about sexual assault anymore.
>
> Women (and men) are still at greatest risk of being raped under age 18, and
> women are twice as likely to be revictimized at a later age if raped as a
> child (http://ncjrs.org/pdffiles/172837.pdf). I hope I'm not alone in
> thinking we need to continue to think about (and educate) about sexual
> violence and its impact across the lifespan, even thought we only have
> access to college students for four (or so) years.
>
> Susan
>
> Susan Marine
> Director
> Office of Sexual Assault Prevention and Response
> Harvard University
> 340 Holyoke Center
> 1350 Mass. avenue
> Cambridge MA 02138
> 617 384-9081
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Fri, 06 Aug 2004 17:07:38 -0400
> From: Shirley Banks 
> <>
> To: Susan Marine 
> <>
> Cc: 
> 
> Subject: Re: the red zone
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>
> Good point, Susan.
>
> May I also add that, as far as I've seen, the "red zone" idea is used as
> a basis for programming directed at first- year students, with nothing
> said to sophomore, junior, and senior men as the majority of actual
> /potential perpetrators.  The message to all of the students, therefore,
> is that we do not expect/insist that the more "mature" students refrain
> from attacking first-year students.
>
> --
> __________________________________________
> Shirley M. Banks, Health Educator
> Emory University Student Health Services
> 1525 Clifton Rd., Atlanta, GA 30322
> Phone 404-727-7312; Fax 404-727-9159
> 
> Go MAD! Make A Difference!
> __________________________________________
>