Out-of-Class #1: Example #1

Sexual assault is among the top concerns on any college campus, including here at Michigan State University. We DON’T USE FIRST-PERSON REFERENCES OUTSIDE OF QUOTES, PER AP STYLE. INSTEAD, SAY STUDENTS HAVE HEARD ALL STATISTICS, BUT HAT ELSE CAN THEY DO (NOT WE DO) have all heard the statistics, but what else can we do to help prevent it from being such a prevalent issue?

            At MSU, there are several organizations that urge to educate students about the ways in which sexual assault and relationship violence can be prevented on campus. These groups provide sources and hotlines for survivors, as well as tips on how to detect when a sexual assault is about to happen.

            The Sexual Assault and Relationship Violence Prevention Program began doing workshops for students in January of 2008, said Adam Littleton, a SARV Prevention Program Graduate Professional. However, the program has grown much since then.

            “Originally, we were just doing general workshops for the entire first year population, but we’ve expanded into doing things like LGBTQ-specific workshops, international student workshops, and a bystander intervention network that is aimed at upperclassmen,” said Littleton.

            In the workshops, SARV peer educators teach freshmen about the resources they have on campus, how they can detect certain red flags that coincide with sexual assault or relationship violence, and how they can make a difference in the current campus culture. HOW DO YOUY KNOW THIS? ATTRIBUTE!

            SARV believes that in-person workshops are the most effective means of communicating with and educating students, Littleton said. The scripts and the criteria for the workshops are updated based on new statistics, new terminology, and student feedback.

            “Our goal is to educate and empower students on campus in order to kind of change the climate that we have here and decrease, like, prevalence of sexual assault on college campuses,” said Littleton.

           

SARV also works closely with other organizations on campus, Littleton said.

            “We collaborate with a lot of organizations on campus. We are a part of a network that includes SARV, the Sexual Assault Program, the University Police Department, the Office of Institutional Equity, Safe Place, Olin Health Center, the Self Defense Program, the LGBT Resource Center, and then Greek Life,” said Littleton. 

            In regards to how preventing sexual assault could be improved on MSU’s campus, Littleton said that the SARV team is already looking towards expanding on the required freshman workshop by also having workshops for upperclassmen.

From Littleton’s experience at another undergraduate institution, he said that MSU is incredibly lucky to have so many resources and places to turn to.

            “This is the second university that I’ve been to and my undergrad did not have all of the great resources that we have here, so we are extremely fortunate and a lot of other universities could benefit from all of the stuff that we have,” Littleton said.

            Although there are many outlets to finding resources and counseling, it seems that there is one particular factor about MSU that deeply affects the trends of sexual assault on campus.

According to Megan Maas, an expert on areas such as sexual assault prevention, relationship violence, sex education, and family studies, an underlying feature of sexual assault is the type of campus it occurs on.

            “What we do know is that sexual assault on college campuses is a persistent, remaining issue,” said Maas. “Prevalence rates are really consistent across the country, and they are certainly a little bit higher in the Big 10 schools that are a little bit more athletically oriented.”

            In regard to the organizations on campus, such as SARV Prevention Program and SAP, Maas said that any program is a step in the right direction.

            “We do know that any prevention program is better than nothing, and that having more resources on campus helps students not only report more, but also helps them feel more supported and more likely to seek help,” said Maas.

            On a negative note, prevention programs that exist across the country may go unnoticed and uncredited by college students, Maas said. Although they are indefinitely helpful, many students have reported that the programs are boring or irrelevant to their needs.

            “We have a lot of work to do in those areas,” said Maas.

            Caroline Nelsen, who is a sexual assault therapist with the Sexual Assault Program, or SAP, AT MSU? BE SPECIFIC wrote via email that she believes MSU has made significant improvements in the ways sexual assault is addressed on campus, but that both MSU and society as a whole could do a better job in creating a more accepting atmosphere for survivors.

Nelson also wrote that she thinks that students should be aware and attentive of sexual assault trends.

 “It’s extremely important students pay attention to sexual assault trends and how our campus and culture respond,” Nelson wrote. “Sexual Assault is rooted in rape culture and it takes a community to impact change.”

            Molly Ehasz, a junior at MSU majoring in Civil Engineering, MAJORS ARE LOWER CASE, PER AP STYLE said that her TA SPELL OUT ACRONYMS ON FIRST REFERENCE position requires her to report any situation in which she even suspects that a sexual assault has occurred.

“I wouldn’t say that I am aware of when it happens unless it’s a big incident, which I feel is a problem because people only care when it’s something big that happens,” said Ehasz.

However, she does believe that there are many resources available for students at MSU.

“I think that there are definitely a lot of resources, and I know that for students who have had that problem, there’s, like, specific places they can go,” said Ehasz. “But it’s just kind of sad that it, like, still happens.”

           

Word Count: 899

 Adam Littleton:
-Sexual Assault and Relationship Violence Prevention Program Graduate Professional
-Phone: (517) 355-8286
-Email: littl105@msu.edu

Megan Maas (Neutral Expert):
-Expert in sexual assault prevention, family studies, relationship violence, sex education, and human development/assistant professor
-Phone: (517) 432-2953
-Email: Maasmeg1@msu.edu

Caroline Nelson:
-Sexual Assault Therapist/Staff member at SAP
-Phone: (517) 355-9320
-Email: Nelsenca@msu.edu

Molly Ehasz:
-Junior at MSU studying Civil Engineering
-Phone: (908) 442-5217
-Email: Ehaszmol@msu.edu

ASSIGNMENT GRADE: (redacted)

INSTRUCTOR’S COMMENTS: VERY SOLID FIRST STORY. NICE RANGE OF SOURCES, GOOD STRUCTURE AND ATTRIBUTION, A GOOD LEDE WITH A PROPER NUT GRAF. THANKS!