Rock against rape
April 27, 2007
When John Henry arrived at the Cherry Street Artisan Thursday, he was excited to play for a good cause during the Rock Against Rape concert.
"Anytime someone wants you on a show it's nice, but when it's something that's actually really important that needs to bring awareness to a problem it makes it extra special," said Henry, frontman of John Henry and the Engine.
Henry said he wanted to perform at last year's Rock Against Rape, but a conflict prohibited him from doing so.
The concert benefited local organizations that help victims of rape and sexual assault, and it concluded Sexual Assault Awareness Week.
The event, in its third year, featured Henry's band, Add 9, E-Marino and The Robert Frost Fetish.
Henry said he was excited to play in a more intimate setting than the venues his band usually performs at.
"I love doing that, but equally I love people being able to hear some of the words or some of the more subtle aspects of the music," he said.
Stronger Together Against Rape sponsored the event, but the other three organizations that work out of the Rape Education Office — Peer Rape Educators, Greek Advocates and Men Against Rape and Sexual Assault — were also involved.
Members from each of these organizations came onstage between the different performers to explain the purpose of their respective organizations. Peer Rape Educators work to educate the campus community about rape and sexual assault, while Greek Advocates target educating the Greek community on these issues. MARS works to support an egalitarian campus culture.
In addition to raising money for local organizations that work with victims of rape and sexual assault, the evening's goal was to raise awareness in a non-threatening environment, said Danica Pape, a member of STAR and organizer of Rock Against Rape.
"On college campuses, one in four women will be raped or sexually assaulted," she said." "It's a big deal."
Pape said one in three women will be raped or sexually assaulted during her lifetime.
"I think a lot of students in particular try to shy away from it because they think it will never happen to them," STAR President Katie Garey said. "Women's sexual assault can be a difficult topic to talk about, so having an event in a relaxed environment, like the Artisan, will hopefully make people more wiling to talk about this topic."
Because of these statistics, it is important to ensure that the community rallies together and is supportive, she said.
Throughout the night, members of STAR mingled with guests and asked for donations or were selling raffle tickets for $1. Although most people who attended knew about the event, some among the crowd were just stopping by and decided to find out more about rape awareness programs.
"We didn't know about this, but we learned about the men's program," community member Katlynn O'Conner said. "This is the busiest I have ever seen it. It seems like a lot of people are involved, and it makes me want to get involved."
Event planners tried to get the word out to both community members and students with a wide array of advertising techniques including putting fliers up, wearing Rock Against Rape T-shirts and placing advertisements in newspapers, Pape said.
"I heard about the event on Facebook," MU senior Stephanie Wavro said. "I thought it was a good cause. You could always go to a bar on Thursdays, but instead of throwing away cover money, this goes to a good cause."
During the event, the Artisan did not sell alcohol. Instead, raffle tickets, bracelets that read, "No Means No" and T-shirts were on sale, and 100 percent of the profit benefited the cause.
The idea for Rock Against Rape came three years ago at a STAR meeting, Garey said.
"Originally we were looking for an event that was a more fun environment," she said. "Obviously, the subjects of rape and sexual assault can be frustrating to talk about."
The money raised from Rock Against Rape will benefit community resources for those who have been victims of rape, violence and sexual assault.
"This is the biggest event we do that actually raises money for the L.E.A.D. Institute and The Shelter," Garey said. "We had it at the Artisan, a place downtown, so some people walk in and don't know what's going on but stay to find out."
The Shelter provides services for victims of domestic violence or sexual assault. These services include emergency shelter, counseling and support groups, court advocacy and a 24-hour hotline. The L.E.A.D. Institute deals with victims of rape and sexual assault who are deaf or have hearing problems.
"When you add a specific minority group to the mix, it makes it that much more difficult to talk about rape and sexual assault," Garey said.
Becky Erickson, a coordinator at the Rape Education Office and adviser for Greek Advocates, is working toward her graduate degree in social work and worked at The Shelter while getting her undergraduate degree at MU. She first became interested as an undergraduate and was even more interested after she began working as a victim advocate for the Audrain County Prosecutors Office.
"I see how difficult it is for victims to go through the justice system," she said.
Erickson said so many people are not educated enough about the issues of rape and sexual assault and thus blame the victim, and they might be insensitive to important issues facing victims.
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