RSVP organizes events for Rape Awareness Month

Survivors are encouraged to speak out about their experiences.

By Marie Mandelberg

Published Sept. 3, 2010

Wednesday marked the beginning of Rape Awareness Month, meant to acknowledge and inform students of rape and sexual assault issues.

The Relationship & Sexual Violence Prevention Center has events planned throughout September.

"We are primarily a resource center for survivors, friends of survivors and basically anyone who needs information," RSVP Center Coordinator Danica Pape said.

Events include Green Dot Mizzou, which focuses on stopping violence, and Take Back the Night, a national movement that encourages people to speak out against violence across the nation. Take Back the Night will involve a march through campus and end with a Speak-Out that gives those affected by sexual assault or rape an opportunity to voice their experiences.

"It's hard to give survivors an opportunity to tell their story," Pape said.

Many of the events give survivors a chance to share what they have gone through. Pape said she wants students to be aware of the resources available to them. The RSVP Center offers referral services and support for anyone who has had to deal with sexual assault or rape. The MU Counseling Center also provides free individual counseling and walk-in crisis services.

"I hope students will learn how to support friends and family members affected by violence and that victims and survivors will learn about resources on campus that support them," Women's Center adviser Suzy Day said.

The final event of the month, sponsored by Alpha Chi Omega, is a visit from Mildred Muhammad, the former wife of the D.C. sniper. Muhammad said the multiple random murders in 2002 could have been prevented if someone had listened to her cries of help concerning domestic abuse. She now shares her story as an advocate for survivors.

Pape said she wants students to know that rape is not okay, but it is okay to talk about it.

"I want everyone to talk about it," Senior Katlyn Keller said. "I want it to not be taboo anymore."

The first event of the month, held Wednesday night, was a showing of the award-winning documentary, "I'm a Survivor of Rape," created by MU alumna Colleen McDevitt. The film featured four sexual violence survivors, all MU students and community members. In the video, they described their experiences and how they dealt with the repercussions.

After the movie, there was a panel with two of the women from the video and a counselor from MU's Counseling Center. The women answered questions from the audience and explained how they utilized resources available on campus.

Keller was one of the women in the documentary.

"I did the video because I felt like I needed to help others," she said. "If there is anything I could say to help others, I wanted to do it."

The RSVP held its second event of the month, the Outreach Kick-off Meeting, Thursday night. This meeting involved Stronger Together Against Relationship and Sexual Violence and Men Against Relationship and Sexual Violence.