Kaitlyn Hughes | news editor

Elizabeth Skrinjar, president of Students Against Sexual Violence at Duquesne, said sexual violence needs to be discussed, especially at the university level.

“People need to be vocal about it,” Skrinjar said.

More than 40% of students experienced at least one sexually harassing behavior in college, according to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, a nonprofit that provides leadership in preventing and responding to sexual violence.

This is no different when it comes to spring break.

Sexual assault is one of the most common crimes students commit on spring break, according to Gambone Law, a criminal defense attorneys office.

‘Never the victim’s fault’

The “Red Zone” is an eight-to-16-week timeframe at the beginning of the school year during which more than 50% of the sexual assaults that are reported in a year occur, said Jayne Lester, the advocacy supervisor at Pittsburgh Action Against Rape (PAAR).

She said this happens because young students are often away from home for the first time and have not established who the “safe people” are in their lives.

“Going on a spring break trip is doing the exact same thing all over again, but you might already have that feeling of ‘well, no, I’m already safe, and I have my connections’ and not realize that now you’re in an unfamiliar place with maybe unfamiliar people. So you have to put yourself back in that mindset of ‘when I didn’t know people,’” Lester said.

Megan Schroeder, director of victim response at PAAR, said they see a spike in recorded instances of sexual violence around spring break, and the same thing happens in the summer and during the start of classes.

Before going on a trip for spring break, Lester said it is important to make a plan with a group of people on how to keep each other safe.

“Just have conversations with the friends you’re going with and set expectations of what you’re going to be doing and who you’re going to be with and where you’re going to be going,” she said.

Lester said to always have a charged phone, so you can call your friends or get an Uber if a situation becomes unsafe. Schroeder said students should be aware of what they’re consuming and have control of alcohol that they consume.

Alicia Simpson, Title IX coordinator and director of sexual misconduct prevention & response at Duquesne said that if a student notices a friend is uncomfortable, isolated or impaired, it is important to check in with them.

Although occurrences of sexual violence happen with strangers, Schroeder said that it can also happen with someone that students trust.

Rachel Lovell, associate professor and director of the criminology center at Cleveland State University, said in these instances it is important to look for risk patterns such as individuals trying to give someone too many drinks or drugs or someone trying to make someone else uncomfortable.

“Listen to that instinct that’s inside that oftentimes we try to ignore or pretend like it’s okay,” Lovell said. “We often recognize something seems off, something doesn’t seem right. It’s always okay to leave that situation. We’re not responsible for making other people comfortable.”

Simpson said the person that initiates sexual contact has the responsibility to obtain consent.

For consent to be valid, the person giving verbal consent has to know what they’re agreeing to, must give consent freely and not be pressured to do so, must be an active participant, has to give consent to that specific activity and can withdraw consent at any time, Simpson said.

Lester said that someone can take all the right steps to keep themselves safe, but something can still happen.

“I think it’s important to emphasize that regardless of any steps you might take, if something happened to you, it’s not your fault,” she said. “An incident of sexual violence is never the victim’s fault.”

Although it is important for students to worry about their safety, Lovell said it is also important for them to have fun.

“We should try to balance the aspect of not living in complete fear and always worrying about everyone,” she said.

Getting help

Lester said if something happens while a student is traveling, it is important that if they want to seek medical care they receive it in the place they are traveling.

“Sometimes sexual violence might not leave a mark, but that doesn’t mean that you might not need medical care,” she said.

Schroeder said that there can be injuries people are not aware of after an incident, and a hospital can help provide preventative care if a victim is worried about pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections.

In some states, if a victim goes to the hospital they are not forced to report the incident to the police. But if someone does want to report an incident to the police, they must report it in the place they are.

PAAR can help victims get connected with resources in the area they are in and help them debrief after a situation.

There are also options for people who may just want support instead of medical care or police reports.

Victims can call PAAR at 1-866-END-RAPE. PAAR has walk-in hours every Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and they have open office hours at the Cathedral of Learning every Wednesday 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

On Duquesne’s campus, students can contact the Title IX office over the phone, online or in person to explore supportive measures such as academic modifications, safety planning and reporting options.

There are other campus resources such as Counseling Services, Campus Ministry, Health Services and the Psychology Clinic, Simpson said.

The importance of education

Schroeder said that it is important for everyone to be educated about sexual violence.

“I think we all underestimate how prevalent it is,” Schroeder said. “Whether you’re in college or not, I think understanding that sexual violence is something that occurs often and that it impacts everybody — there is truly nobody who is immune to it.

“I think it also helps normalize for people that what they experienced was not their fault, and it’s something that’s actually very common for people to experience.”

Kaitlyn Hughes can be reached at hughesk10@duq.edu