For this year's incoming freshmen, high school may not have provided enough information to prepare them for college, according to Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment founder Angela Rose.
Rose is referring to comprehensive sex education programs, which she said so many high schools lack.
\Without question they should be teaching about the dangers of dating and sexual violence,"" she said.
But too many times, high schools neglect to educate their students about this topic, Rose said, which often leads to serious consequences later on in life.
UW-Madison, like all universities, deals with numerous cases of sexual violence every year. A 1995 survey of UW-Madison students found that one in eight senior women reported being sexually assaulted, defined in the survey as having unwanted vaginal or oral sex, during their time at the university. Eighty-seven percent of those also said they knew their assailants, said Lori Henn, violence prevention coordinator for campus community partnerships at University Health Services, earlier this year.
More recent sexual assault statistics at UW-Madison were criticized this year after allegations that numbers the university is required to report under the federal Jeanne Clery Act underreported incidents.
Revised numbers for 2000 said there were six forcible sexual offenses reported to UW Police and 13 reported to the Dean of Students Office.
But because so many students are unaware of the details that surround sexual violence'such as its definition and how to report it'students may not know how to take action, Rose said.
One preventative measure students can take to protect themselves is to take advantage of the SAFE Nighttime Services'which offers an array of services to help protect students traveling around campus on any given night.
""I think that SAFE was really designed looking at new students on campus,"" said SAFE coordinator Jane Goemans. ""When students have new surroundings, it's critical that they don't go at it alone.""
SAFEride bus, also known as the LN bus routes, offers students free bus rides to and from Memorial Union to the Lakeshore dorms and Regent Street-Breese Terrace areas, along with Langdon to East Johnson Street route, beginning at 6:45 p.m. daily and running until 1 a.m. on weeknights and until 3 a.m. on weekends.
Through SAFEwalk, students escort other students to destinations around campus.
""We pride ourselves on being able to get to anybody who gives us a call within 10 minutes,"" Goemans said. ""I think we're a very quick and responsive service.""
SAFEride also offers free cab services, which students can use up to eight times each month. She also said that between the three services SAFE offers, students and especially incoming freshman should realize that it is OK to ask for help, despite their newfound sense of independence.
""Recently with the assaults we have had on campus, people should realize that they can always give us a call,"" she said.
