Last week, two Greek organizations from Lehigh University, Lambda Theta Alpha and Alpha Omicron Pi, co-sponsored a speaker from The Safe Center on Long Island. The Safe Center is a nonprofit organization that strives to serve people who have been affected by sexual assault and gender violence while also encouraging members of the community to advocate for this cause.
The purpose of this presentation, done by Sophie Kravet, was to educate Lehigh students both within these two Greek organizations, as well as on Lehigh's campus, about the realities of sexual assault and gender violence in a college setting. The statistics she provided were very eye-opening and I truly believe that it was a beneficial program for students. Alpha Omicron Pi's Global Outreach Chair, Willa Perlman commented that "Sophie's presentation was both blunt and informative. It really gave me a fresh perspective on Lehigh's culture".
Kravet made the program extremely engaging for the students who attended. She showed a College Humor video, that was part of the It’s On Us campaign, where sexual assault was compared to being eaten by bears. The title of the video is “What if bears killed one in five people?" This is related to the statistic that one in five college women will be sexually assaulted by the time they graduate. The message that this video is trying to convey is that the issue of sexual assault, specifically on college campuses, is an urgent problem that we need to address immediately. If one in every five people were being mauled by bears, the country would be in an absolute panic. So why is the problem of sexual assault not being taken seriously?
Another great video that Kravet showed was titled “Sexual Consent and Tea." This short video, although extremely funny, aims to simplify the concept of consent by comparing sex to drinking a cup of tea. The tea analogy is maintained throughout the duration of the video, and is meant to address situations surrounding sexual consent in which lines may be blurred.
“Maybe they were conscious when you asked them if they wanted tea, and they said ‘yes.' But in the time it took you to boil the kettle, brew the tea and add the milk they are now unconscious … Don’t make them drink the tea. They said ‘yes’ then, sure, but unconscious people don’t want tea.” This video is part of a campaign that was originally launched by the Thames Valley Police, titled "#ConsentIsEverything."
These videos, Kravet's presentation and organizations like The Safe Center and Turning Point of the Lehigh Valley are all examples of resources that serve to support victims of sexual assault and gender violence, as well as to spread awareness about this growing issue.
This Thursday, April 21, Alpha Omicron Pi will be partnering with Lambda Theta Alpha and Lehigh’s Women’s Center to put on the annual event “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes." This is “a community march to end rape, sexual assault, and gender violence." It will be taking place on the front lawn of Lehigh University’s campus at 5 p.m. So come strut your stuff this Thursday and join these organizations in the fight against sexual assault and gender violence.
