[177] in Discussion of MIT-community interests
Re: Let's END Rape@MIT
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Steven R. L. Millman)
Sun Apr 22 16:13:10 2001
Message-Id: <4.3.2.7.2.20010422161217.03092098@hesiod>
Date: Sun, 22 Apr 2001 16:12:28 -0400
To: Aimee L Smith <alsmith@MIT.EDU>, Nnennia Ejebe <nnennia@MIT.EDU>
From: "Steven R. L. Millman" <millman@MIT.EDU>
Cc: mit-talk@MIT.EDU
In-Reply-To: <200104222004.QAA16859@nerd-xing.mit.edu>
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Check out:
http://www-tech.mit.edu/V112/N10/harassed.10n.html
At 04:04 PM 4/22/2001 -0400, Aimee L Smith wrote:
>MIT also was required by the federal govt to do a survey on sexual
>assault of undergraduates. The response rate was close to 50% and
>it was done, I believe, in 1998. These data supposedly
>are available to students, but so far, we have not received
>access to them. (Perhaps for logistical rather than political
>reasons, but I urge others to try and get them as well if
>you are interested. Gina Baral in Health Ed has them.)
>
>LEARN MORE
>http://www.dcrcc.org/facts.html
>http://www.rape101.com
>http://www.mit.edu/stop/www
>http://www.campusoutreachservices.com/confession.htm (if you have a strong
>stomache...)
>
>books:
>*_Against Our Will: men, women, and rape_ Susan Brownmiller
>*_Understanding Sexual Violence: a study of convicted rapists_ Diana Scully
>*_After silence : rape and my journey back_ Nancy Raine
>_Cunt: A Declaration of Independence_ by Inga Muscio
>*_Unwanted Sex: the culture of intimidation and the failure of law_ by Stephen
> Schulhofer
>*_Women against violence against women_ Conference compendium, 1985
>_I never called it rape_ Robin Warshaw
>*indicates MIT library has it
>
>PROTECT YOURSELF!
>I am a HUGE advocate of full contact self-defense training. I
>wouldn't feel safe walking home at night without having has some.
>Still, the problem of date-rape is much harder as assailants
>take advantage of the trust that their "date" puts in them. The
>best advice women can get (or men who find themselves a target)
>is really trust that little feeling in your gut. If your gut tells
>you not to trust this person, don't question it. Make up some
>reason to end the date or get near people or whatever, but go against
>society's training that tells us to put politeness before our own
>sense of safety. I have heard it said this way, once, "humans
>are the only species of animal that will go into a sound-proof
>box (i.e. an elevator) with someone their instincts tell them not
>to trust." And they do it out of politeness. I argue you can
>put safety first and work politeness in by create white lying...
>"Oh, I just remembered I was supposed to meet someone..." or
>some such lie. You don't owe strangers the truth.
>
>HEAL TRAUMA
>If you or a friend is attacked or abused or raped or even threatened
>with one of these, (man or woman), that person should pursue some
>sort of healing process that makes sense to them. It could be in
>part spiritual, psychological, meditative,... whatever makes
>sense to that person, but only they can decide how to regain a sense
>of self-safety and bodily integrity... there is no magic formula
>that works for all... Rape is a lot like evicting someone from their
>own body. Many survivors describe a sense of "going someplace else"
>during the traumatic experience and a sense of disconnect from their
>own body. That isn't good as everyone should feel safe in their
>own body, so adequate healing needs to occur for the person to feel
>at home again in their own skin...
>
>HELP MAKE CHANGE! (right here at MIT)
>Students are organizing to try and get some meaningful awareness
>programming on date-rape back into orientation. That way, hopefully
>if people get a GRT who isn't as responsible as Steve is with his
>students, then they won't be totally in the dark. (But definitely
>keep up the great work, Steve! ) There used to be a theater troupe that
>tackled this and other issues during orientation, but that fizzled out
>and nothing else has been brought on line. Last year, when students
>from "Stop Our Silence" and then later Social Justice Cooperative tried
>to get something into orientation we hit a brick wall. Now students are
>meeting with administration to ensure something is done for this
>coming fall. So far Dean Benedict has promised it will be covered,
>which is great news. The only job remaining is to be sure it gets
>adequate time and focus so that it isn't watered down to worthlessness.
>To get involved with the orientation campaign, contact stop-officer@mit.edu
>(Stop Our Silence exec list.) And of course, there is the usual issues
>of administrators thinking they are the experts and feeling that they
>can make all the important frame-work type decisions without student
>input.
>
>WHY BOTHER?
>No one program is going to solve a societal epidemic. Yet, the more
>we give people information about the realities of safety here at MIT,
>the more we can help people make informed choices... some people's
>parents don't give them the low-down about rape b/c they don't like
>talking about sexuality with their kids or they don't know themselves.
>Friends can often be a great source of support and info, but sometimes
>they are also perpetuating myths based on stereotype and hype... taking
>an hour or two to discuss these issues and explain what counseling and
>medical and law-enforcement resources are available on campus could
>really help keep the guard up for the most dangerous time for young women,
>the first three months of their college career... women will never have
>equal access to all that a place like MIT has to offer until the annual
>rape statistic becomes ZERO...
>
>
>I know far too many survivors of date-rape, child sexual abuse, and rape--
>mostly women, but some men as well. No one deserves to be evicted from their
>own body. I know we are all busy folk and there are many wrongs in
>the world, but if you have a spare bit of energy and want to help out,
>together we will make some real progress on ending this terror campaign
>against all women and many men.
>
>In hope,
> Aimee
