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Show Religious dating differences UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY Page 5 Logan, Utah • Campus Voice Since 1902 www.utahstatesman.com Wednesday, Sept. 13,2006 Dating violence and sexual assualt are at highest Students are warned to be safe and cautious during their first months at college BY ARIE KIKK Assistant News Editor The closing of the summer season not only marks the beginning of a new school year, but also the time during which dating violence and sexual assault are at their peak on college campuses. The first several weeks of school have become known as the "Red Zone" because of the high rates of violence and rape, said Brittany Bennett, program coordinator for Utah Men Against Sexual Violence. "The Red Zone is a slang term designating the phenomenon that occurs during the first few weeks and months in school when freshman and sophomore girls are most vulnerable to rape and sexual assault," Bennett said. Statistically, girls between the ages of 16 and 24 are at the highest risk, said Rachel Brighton, coordinator of the Sexual Assault and Anti-Violence Information Office, or SAAVI. Freshman and sophomore girls are more vulnerable because they are new to their surroundings and are perhaps more naive, Brighton said. "They are experimenting with new freedoms and new friends," she said. "They are still young and a little bit inexperienced and there are those looking to take advantage of the vulnerable." Bennett said the best protection is to think and use good judgment. "Women need to protect themselves by talking, knowing their boundaries and trusting their gut instinct. Trust your gut and get out," Bennett said. Amber Hebdon, an intern at USU's SAAVI Office, said nationally, one in four girls has either been raped or experienced attempted rape since their 14th birthday. In Utah, Hebdon said that number is even higher, with one in three girls a victim of rape or attempted rape since the age of 14. Perpetrators in sexual assault and rape cases are typically someone the victim knows. "Warning signs are jealousy, insecurities and one-way resolutions like 'my way or the highway,'" Hebdon said. She said counseling at SAAVI is not only available for the victim, but for secondary survivors as well. She said secondary survivors are those who suffer indirectly from an event like rape, such as family members or friends who feel sadness, guilt or regret. Tips to help stop sexual violence have been published by UCASA, the Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault. Information included the need to examine personal attitudes, respect others and avoid perpetuating stereotypes. Brighton said, "It is never the fault of the victim. It is always the fault of the perpetrator. By sheer definition, it is never the victims fault." In 2005, USU police had one reported sexual assault and one rape on record - both of which did not occur during the Red Zone, said Lt. Shane Sessions. However, Sessions stressed the importance of realizing that edZone (allieGrover/cailieGnnQa.usu.edu ANDREA ROMERO, a freshman majoring in journalism, looks over her shoulder while crossing campus. Students should be aware of the risks during the first two months of school, when people are most vulnerable and the most sexual assault occurs. these low numbers do not mean that incidents did not occur. Per calendar year, Sessions said USU police typically have 0-2 reported rapes, 1-8 counts of sexual assault and 6-10 reported cases of lewdness. "Ours wouldn't even mirror national statistics and I would attribute that to the environment in which we live, but that doesn't mean problems don't happen," Sessions said. "This will not have a full picture of what may actually be occurring on campus as a whole." The numbers may not reflect national statistics because not all students live on campus and not all assaults occur on campus, he said, but because both are students, the cases fit into the Red Zone. The number of reported rapes and sexual assaults are lower with the campus police because of a number of reasons, Sessions said, the first being that not all instances are reported. Sessions also said that cases are often reported to Logan City Police or other police within the surrounding area, but the people involved may still be students. "Nationally, for every one woman that reports being raped, nine will not report," Sessions said. > RED ZONE see page 3 Students attend study abroad fair BY LIZ LAWYER Editor in Chief Tyler Larson/tmlarson@ccusu.edu UNIVERSAL RECYCLING IN CACHE COUNTY has attracted many supporters and critics. People who say saving the environment is critical are at odds with those who are upset at the lack of communication about recycling. The Study Abroad Fair held Tuesday drew a steady trickle of students to the 20-plus tables in the International Lounge There were 19 programs at the fair, as well as several others affiliated with USU. Affiliated programs work with the school to transfer credit and financial aid and have tuition costs similar to USU, making study abroad easier. Sarah Leineweber, a senior enrollment coordinator representing the program Australearn, said her experience studying abroad in Brisbane, Australia, three years ago was life-changing. She said she has even been back to visit. "I think study abroad should be mandatory," Leineweber said. "It makes you more well-rounded, more understanding and adaptable." USU has programs to send students to nearly 40 countries on six continents. Programs of study include languages, education, humanities, business, political science, history, art and engineering. Most programs at the fair were represented by someone who had traveled with the program. One Japanese university was even represented by two women who flew in from Japan. This semester about 15 USU students are studying overseas, a lower number than average, said Joanne Decker, assistant to the director of Study Abroad. She said there are also 15 students from overseas at USU. Florian Zwetti, an exchange student from Bavaria, Germany, has been in the states about three weeks. He said he likes the schools in America better than in Germany. "In Germany, you more or less just concentrate on learning," Zwetti said. "You don't have the chance to do other things." Zwetti said things like school sports and music aren't available in Germany, so he's taking advantage of the activities offered at USU and joining the jazz ensemble to play trumpet. -ella@cc.usu.edu County recycling still causing controversy Students remember 9/11 BY D I LEWIS News Editor Cache County's universal recycling program is still dealing with mixed reviews from citizens and city officials months after it was implemented. The recycling program, which was passed in the Cache County Council in April, will distribute a blue recycling can to every residential building in Cache County. Phase one of the program has already been implemented, which put the blue cans in most of the towns in the county, and phase two will start next spring to cover the more rural areas of the county that have not yet received bins. Logan Environmental Department Collection Coordinator Robert Jensen said, "The people have been quite favorable to the program. Especially people that have come from outside the valley; they wondered why it took so long to get a recycling program." But Providence Mayor Randy Simmons says that not everyone was happy about the arrival of universal recycling in Cache County. "Last spring the Cache County Council imposed recycling on all cities at the request of Logan city," Simmons said. "My three main problems with the situation are that it's bad politics, it's not necessarily a good economic deal for our citizens and it's not necessarily a good environmental deal." The problem started, Simmons said, when the Cache County Council passed a resolution to begin a recycling program in the county without enough public discussion. The new program affects the • RECYCLING see page 4 1 BY LYNUI SMITH Staff Writer USU students gathered with community members at the Merrill-Cazier Library Auditorium on Monday night for the second annual "September Project." Growing out of the events of Sept. 11, 2001, the "September Project" aims to help promote community dialogue in libraries across the world on important issues we face today. "Libraries are seen as neutral places," said USU librarian Wendy Holliday. "Anyone is free to read about anything here. It is a place of inquiry and discovery." This year's discussion was based on the Civil Rights Movement documentary film "Fighting Back" and the 2006 common literature experience at USU, "Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High," by Melba Pattillo Beals. The discussion, led by Jennifer Ritterhouse, associate professor of history at USU, yielded realizations by audience members of not only what took place in Little Rock, Ark., but what citizens of the United States can do as they face the political, economic and racial challenges of today. "It is something that we in our generation don't deal with, but it is good to remember it," freshman Blake Brinkerhoff said, "because they say that if you don't remember the past you are doomed to repeat it." The movie, "Fighting Back," followed Thelma Mothershed, Elizabeth Eckford, Melba Pattillo, Jefferson Thomas, Ernest Green, Minniejean Brown, Carlotta Walls, Terrence Roberts and Gloria Ray as they fought the segregation tactics of the South by integrating public schools. Ritterhouse pointed out how the burden of integration was placed on the shoulders of nine teenagers that faced the common challenges of high school in addition to harassment and ridicule of mobs yelling, "Two, four, six, eight, we don't want to integrate." The film also featured federal versus state powers in the standoff between governors of Southern states and presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy. It featured • SEPTEMBER 11 see page 3 |