Spring Break
The Daily OrangeTheater group works to promote rape awareness
By Karyolyn Maurer
Posted: 4/11/05, 1:30 AM EST Section: Joystick
The fear may go unheard, but it lingers everywhere. Every woman understands the horror of rape or sexual assault. Organizations like Take Back the Night and the Syracuse University R.A.P.E Center work toward ending the violence against women, and freeing them of their fear in the process.
e5m, an interactive theater group on campus fighting against sexual assault, performed Saturday evening in Schine Student Center. The group's name stands for "every 5 minutes," because in 1978, someone was raped every five minutes in the United States. The theater group is a division of SU R.A.P.E services, which work to end violence, especially sexual violence against women.
The troupe acted out a possible rape scenario, titled "Voices Against Violence," followed by a discussion with the actors remaining in character. Hands were traced onto a sign that read, "Pledge: These Hands Will Not Be Used For Violence," and signs were made for the annual Take Back the Night march, rally and speak out being held at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday at Hendricks Chapel.
The first exercise of the evening was to prove that everybody has a different definition of the popular term "hooking up." Members of the audience were asked to write their personal definition of the phrase and their gender. The experiment showed that everybody has a different idea of what "hooking up" means, which can lead to disaster at a party.
"Voices Against Violence" itself represented a possible heterosexual sexual encounter that led to rape. A woman was picked up at a bar by a man she knew from class (the majority of victims know their assailants). He walked her home after a night of drinking. Although she said "no" to any sexual activity past kissing, the man continued.
The performance included the viewpoints of the man and woman's friends, and illustrated their struggles to help their friends deal with the unclear events of the night. Was it really rape? Should the victim tell anybody? And if so, who? Would there be a punishment for underage drinking?
e5m, an interactive theater group on campus fighting against sexual assault, performed Saturday evening in Schine Student Center. The group's name stands for "every 5 minutes," because in 1978, someone was raped every five minutes in the United States. The theater group is a division of SU R.A.P.E services, which work to end violence, especially sexual violence against women.
The troupe acted out a possible rape scenario, titled "Voices Against Violence," followed by a discussion with the actors remaining in character. Hands were traced onto a sign that read, "Pledge: These Hands Will Not Be Used For Violence," and signs were made for the annual Take Back the Night march, rally and speak out being held at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday at Hendricks Chapel.
The first exercise of the evening was to prove that everybody has a different definition of the popular term "hooking up." Members of the audience were asked to write their personal definition of the phrase and their gender. The experiment showed that everybody has a different idea of what "hooking up" means, which can lead to disaster at a party.
"Voices Against Violence" itself represented a possible heterosexual sexual encounter that led to rape. A woman was picked up at a bar by a man she knew from class (the majority of victims know their assailants). He walked her home after a night of drinking. Although she said "no" to any sexual activity past kissing, the man continued.
The performance included the viewpoints of the man and woman's friends, and illustrated their struggles to help their friends deal with the unclear events of the night. Was it really rape? Should the victim tell anybody? And if so, who? Would there be a punishment for underage drinking?
