The Hawk

Issue date: 1/31/07 Section: News

Saint Joseph's University has become the twenty-ninth chapter in the national organization, One in Four. Alongside colleges such as Penn State, Georgetown and Yale University, St. Joe's has joined in the fight to prevent and educate college students on the issues of sexual assaults.

One in Four college women will be victims of rape or attempted rape during their college careers; unfortunately, St. Joe's average is slightly higher than the national average. Gregg Nicholls, St. Joe's counselor and one of the advisors of One in Four, along with Jerry McGlone, S.J., saw a place for the group on campus after attending the national conference on rape and assault. For many, One in Four has seemed to come at just the right time, and everyone is hopeful about its future impact.

This is the first year that this all male peer group is on campus. Sixteen applicants were interviewed and chosen during the fall. Because the group is in its early stages, more men were accepted than the usual 12 to 14 required to keep the group small and close-knit. After being specifically selected, the students underwent two eight-hour days of training to learn the best approaches in dealing with rapes and assaults on campus. Through lectures and videos, John Foubert, creator and founder of the organization, instructed the group during these two days of training. In the spring, they will start presenting what they have learned. The program, entitled "How to Help the Sexual Assault Survivor: What Men Can Do", is a comprehensive approach to educating other males so that their sensitivity is heightened and their likelihood of committing rape is lowered, while simultaneously teaching them how to provide support to previously assaulted women. The hope is that men will be more ready and able to deal with sexual abuse in daily scenarios.

Although still a new campus group, One in Four has been very active in spreading its message. They have presented a program intended for resident assistants on the prevention of rapes and sexual abuse in dorms. The group also plans to present the program at other colleges such as Ursinus, which does not have a national chapter, as well as high schools. This will ensure the spread of prevention outside of campus.

Jeff Pietrzak, '08, president of One in Four, hopes that the group will make a change in campus morality. "I am more conscious of even the words I use now," said Pietrzak. "We all have the ability to affect the attitude of a group." Nicholls also predicts a greater spread of interest in the upcoming years. He hopes to gather more participants by providing the program to the incoming freshmen of 2007.

Because the program has been proven most effective when provided to males to males, Nicholls says it is a great compliment to the Rape Education Prevention Program (REPP), a preexisting campus center and hotline (610) 733-9650 specializing in rape counseling and support. One in Four is tapping into a new circle of students who previously may have been uniformed or just uninvolved. Working together both One in Four and REPP clarify the reality of rape and explain that everyone can make a difference through involvement.

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