2008 Woodie Awards
Fighting back: self-defense for all students
By: Emilee McStay
Issue date: 9/28/07 Section: News
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Abby* never suspected her friends as capable of date rape, but two summers ago at her friend Dave's house, she found she was wrong.
"We were going to watch movies, and he made us rum and cokes," Abby said. After drinking half of her rum and coke, Abby started feeling sick and stopped drinking. Forty-five minutes later, she blacked out. "I vaguely remember throwing up for a really long time, and then I remember waking up on his sofa at 5 a.m.," Abby said.
Dave confessed to a mutual friend that he drugged Abby's drink but would not say anything else about that night.
"I still feel like I shouldn't have been there or put myself in that position-which is stupid, because he was my best friend from high school," she said. "I wouldn't have gone, or I would have made my own drink, but I don't think you think about that when you go to hang out with your friends."
Abby's experience is common in terms of sexual assault.
"Eighty-five percent of rape is acquaintance rape," said Brandon Sieg, a professor of self-defense.
According to Public Safety's annual report, from 2004 through 2006 there were 12 sexual offenses and 1 case of sexual harassment. Public Safety's 2007 crime log cites one report of sexual battery and one report of sexual assault.
"The reports are the tip of the iceberg," Sieg said.
Sieg said DePauw's small community makes it tough for the victim to come forward.
"When everybody knows everybody, people are going to take sides," Sieg said.
The typical predator is the alpha male of his group, the "all-American boy," who was probably involved with school, lettered in a varsity sport or joined student government, Sieg said. He will test to see if the victim can be dominated by sitting next to or buying a drink for the potential target without asking permission. Sieg said a potential victim's posture can deter a predator's attack.
"You are trying to communicate to the attacker that you're a handful, that you are confident. Confident people are more willing to fight back and are more likely to report the incident," Sieg said.
"We were going to watch movies, and he made us rum and cokes," Abby said. After drinking half of her rum and coke, Abby started feeling sick and stopped drinking. Forty-five minutes later, she blacked out. "I vaguely remember throwing up for a really long time, and then I remember waking up on his sofa at 5 a.m.," Abby said.
Dave confessed to a mutual friend that he drugged Abby's drink but would not say anything else about that night.
"I still feel like I shouldn't have been there or put myself in that position-which is stupid, because he was my best friend from high school," she said. "I wouldn't have gone, or I would have made my own drink, but I don't think you think about that when you go to hang out with your friends."
Abby's experience is common in terms of sexual assault.
"Eighty-five percent of rape is acquaintance rape," said Brandon Sieg, a professor of self-defense.
According to Public Safety's annual report, from 2004 through 2006 there were 12 sexual offenses and 1 case of sexual harassment. Public Safety's 2007 crime log cites one report of sexual battery and one report of sexual assault.
"The reports are the tip of the iceberg," Sieg said.
Sieg said DePauw's small community makes it tough for the victim to come forward.
"When everybody knows everybody, people are going to take sides," Sieg said.
The typical predator is the alpha male of his group, the "all-American boy," who was probably involved with school, lettered in a varsity sport or joined student government, Sieg said. He will test to see if the victim can be dominated by sitting next to or buying a drink for the potential target without asking permission. Sieg said a potential victim's posture can deter a predator's attack.
"You are trying to communicate to the attacker that you're a handful, that you are confident. Confident people are more willing to fight back and are more likely to report the incident," Sieg said.
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