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

["Angela Hoffman" <>]

Dear Juliette and all,

Last week after reading this discussion thread, I forwarded Juliette's email
to a colleague at our local university where AlcoholEdu and SexualAssaultEdu
are being implemented currently.  I have not been involved in the selection
or implementation of their program in any way, so I merely sharing the
critique with my colleague so he could be aware of the concerns that were
being raised.  My colleague then forwarded the critique to the staff at
Outside the Classroom (OTC), makers of AlcoholEdu and SexualAssaultEdu, for
their input.  The following response from OTC was sent back to my colleague,
along with permission to share it with me and the greater listserv community
if I wished.  I thought it might be of interest to all to see how they
responded.

Best,

Angela

Angela M. Hoffman, M.S.
Public Health Educator - Violence & Rape Prevention
Community Assessment & Health Promotion
Knox County Health Department
140 Dameron Avenue
Knoxville, TN  37917
865-215-5061



------------
I appreciate your asking me to comment on the critique of SexualAssaultEdu
that has been circulated, and I ask that you please pass on this note to
subscribers of the various listservs where the critique has appeared.

SexualAssaultEdu is an optional module within the AlcoholEdu for College
curriculum.  Many campus administrators choose to use it because of the
well-documented correlation between alcohol use and sexual assault. For
example, a recent article in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol suggests that
approximately 50% of reported sexual assaults on college campuses involve
alcohol. Other studies have estimated an even higher percentage. 

It's important to note that the module is not intended to be a comprehensive
sexual assault prevention program, but rather a supplement to more extensive
campus programming.  In fact, Outside The Classroom specifically recommends
that institutions plan follow-up, in-person sessions during the fall
semester to further engage students on this very complex issue.

All of us recognize that how the subject of sexual assault is addressed on
college campuses is a politically fraught subject. There are people who
honestly believe that the role of alcohol use by the perpetrator or the
victim is not an appropriate discussion point, as it automatically leads to
victim-blaming. I respectfully disagree. As I noted, the data on sexual
assault make clear that alcohol is a major contributing factor, and I submit
that it would be foolish to ignore that fact. And I submit that it is
possible to talk about alcohol and sexual assault while making clear a
victim who has been drinking is not responsible for the crime.

Consider this analogy: If you left the door to your house unlocked and
someone broke in to steal, would the theft be your fault? Obviously, the
answer is no. Should you lock your door? Yes, but in telling you that, I'm
not saying that homeowners who leave their house unlocked are to blame. If
you had been drinking heavily and were sexually assaulted, would the rape be
your fault? Obviously, the answer is no. Should you moderate your drinking
so that you can better reduce the risk of assault? Yes, but in telling you
that, I'm not saying that victims who were drinking were responsible for the
crime.

When I directed the Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug and
Violence Prevention, we discussed this issue directly will dozens of experts
in sexual assault prevention. The consensus of the group was that talking
about alcohol use in the context of sexual assault was not only appropriate,
but essential, so long as we were sensitive to the problem of victim-blaming
and addressed that head on. 

We have done that in SexualAssaultEdu. The course's primary focus is to
educate students about the effect of alcohol on relationships and the
ability to give consent to sexual activity. The track for female students
does talk about common-sense steps that they can take to minimize their
risk, making sure that this does not lead students to think that sexual
assault is the victim's fault. There is a different track for men that
addresses rape mythology, making sure that students understand that the use
of alcohol by either the perpetrator or the victim does not mitigate an
assailant's legal or moral responsibility. In reading the critique, I find
myself wondering if our NC State colleague even saw the course track for
men. 

It is important to note that two national experts reviewed and commented
extensively on draft materials throughout the course development process:
Alan Berkowitz, who is known for his work with male college students on this
issue, and Emily Rothman, a faculty member at the Boston University School
of Public Health.

We have done our own analyses to see what impact the course has on students'
perceptions of victim culpability when the victim has been drinking.
Comparing baseline and post-intervention survey responses, approximately 75%
of the students moved in a desirable direction after taking the
SexualAssaultEdu module, holding the victim less responsible. Many campus
administrators who use the module have noted this same pattern in their
campus-specific data: knowing that students who resist the messaging around
alcohol and responsibility tend to be high-risk drinkers, an insight that
has allowed them to target their complementary prevention programming more
effectively. For example, some campuses now include sexual assault
prevention as part of required educational classes for students in judicial
trouble as a result of their high-risk drinking.

We also have positive feedback from partners who use the module. A sexual
assault prevention coordinator at a well-known private institution recently
wrote: 

"Typically, first year students come to campus with pre-conceived notions of
sexual assault being something that happens to "other people" and with
images of a stranger jumping out of a dark alley or from behind a bush or in
a dark parking lot. Any program that informs students of the high
correlation between alcohol and sexual assault challenges this societal
construct. The minute they realize "it CAN happen to me" or that "I could be
that person [who commits a sexual assault]" you expose them to a stark
reality which in turn provides opportunities for us as educators to help
them explore these issues. I recognize and appreciate that not all people
are comfortable with that possibility, but personally, I welcome those
opportunities."  

Finally, for the record, our definition of sexual assault came from the
following document published by the US Department of Justice:   "Sexual
Assault". U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women.
http://www.usdoj.gov/ovw/sexassault.htm.

In my experience, Outside The Classroom has always been very open and
responsive to feedback about their programs. I am sure they would welcome a
conversation with any individuals that have concerns about SexualAssaultEdu
and wish to have constructive dialogue about ways that they can improve the
course.  

*Excerpted from e-mail correspondence from Bill Dejong, Outside the
Classroom, 


-----Original Message-----
From: 

[mailto:]
 On Behalf Of Juliette Grimmett
Sent: Wednesday, October 07, 2009 2:00 PM
To: 
;
 
;

Subject: Sex Matters component of Alcohol EDU

Hello all -

Have any of you seen this new portion of the alcohol EDU program?  I have
tremendous concerns about the messages it sends.  Some folks on campus are
considering keeping this section and I am trying to build a multi-faceted
response as to why it is dangerous and to me sends the opposite messages
that we at the women's center and our peer educators are teaching.  For
example, I believe the module is the following: victim-blaming, puts all
responsibility to stop rape on women, not promoting a culture change or any
accountability for perpetrators, incrorrectly using defintions of rape and
sexual assault, by being embedded in alcohol EDU it sends the dangerous
message that alcohol causes rape, etc.).  This is not to mention my overall
concerns of having an online sexual assault training, but i was trying to
have an open-mind.  

If any of you have any thoughts about this (positive or negative) I would
really love to hear them as soon as possible.  I have attached the link to
view it if you are interested - it took me about 45 minutes to go through
because i was taking a lot of notes, but it says it is supposed to take
20-30 minutes.  They want feedback by Tuesday so any help is greatly
appreciated!

To access a DEMO version of Sex Matters:
1. Go to: http://college.alcoholedu.com/ 2. Under New User enter the
following Login ID: NB1SA 3. Click "Sign Up."
4. Once you have created an account, please copy and paste the following
link into your web browser: http://college.alcoholedu.com/courseoutline.aspx
This link will bring you to the course outline.
5. From here, you can choose the Sex Matters portion of the AlcoholEdu
course.  


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