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

["Keith E. Edwards" <>]

I speak to a lot of athletes (and fraternity men) on college campuses, 
many of which are required to be there. Their requirement to attend 
reinforces for these students what they already understand - that 
athletes often have a not so positive image on campus related to sexual 
assault (often times earned and some times not). The reality is that 
only they can change that image through leadership. To do so means that 
they must first take responsibility as individuals and as a group 
(athletes and men in general). By helping them understand how the rape 
culture on campus and in society mis-educates men about consent, they 
can begin to more accurately understand the difference between rape and 
sex. Once they accurately understand concepts of consent and informed 
consent, they can begin to be leaders on campus in changing their own 
behaviors, influencing their male peers, and joining with women to speak 
out against the rape culture, which encourages, condones, and teaches 
men's violence against women. I use real life examples from campus that 
the students can relate to as well as prominent examples from pop 
culture that help illustrate how we are all mis-educated and how we can 
begin to identify, deconstruct, and confront them. By tapping into 
athletes as leaders and illustrating for them what they can do, rather 
than the blame and shame approach, they often become actually eager to 
re-educate themselves, their peers, and join with women to work against 
the rape culture on campus.



I would also recommend the work of Mentors in Violence Prevention and 
their excellent work with athletes and bystander intervention, which 
many of you may know from Jackson Katz's leadership. 
http://www.jacksonkatz.com/mvp.html


--

*Keith E. Edwards*

*Men Ending Rape*
302-377-2982




 - http://www.menendingrape.org