The SABER (Sexual Assault Behavior Education Response) Peer Education Program is giving a series of presentations in order to promote awareness of sexual assault on campus.

The most recent was held on Nov. 5 in Browning Hall. The program, entitled Respect Each Other, Protect Each Other, began with a skit in which the audience participated. Brittany Castleberry, Chad Worley and Elizabeth Tate presented a scenario in which Jane (Castleberry) is having a drink at a bar, when Bob (Worley) strikes up a conversation with her.

Bob buys Jane several drinks even though Jane’s thoughts (Tate) remind her that she might lose control of the situation if she continues to drink.

However, Jane does not want to offend Bob, so she continues to accept the drinks that Bob buys for her.

Every time something happened in the skit that the audience felt uncomfortable with, they held up a stop sign. When a stop sign was held up, the skit stopped, and the audience member was asked what they were uncomfortable with.

But once Jane had drunk over nine shots worth of alcohol, the stop signs were ignored. Jane was no longer in control of the situation, and Bob was trying to take her home.

Following this skit, there was a question and answer session conducted by Christine Ways and Jennifer Walker. They invited some members of the audience to come to the front of the room.

These participants were asked to say “No” with as much force as possible.

The point of this part of the program was that most women in a situation such as Jane’s are often not taken seriously by men such as Bob because they do not sound as though they mean what they say.

Out of the five participants, four very serious, resounding responses were given.

The members of SABER hope that the audience of that evening’s presentation took away with them some coping strategies to deal with situations such as Jane and Bob’s. No one should ever feel helpless. But those in the audience then were not enough; until SABER reaches everyone on campus, the group cannot stop working.

If you would like to schedule a presentation at your next club or group meeting or would like your class to attend a presentation, please contact Brittany Castleberry, SABER Peer Educator scheduling coordinator, at bridcas1@mars.utm.edu, or Dr. Jennifer Levy at jlevy@utm.edu.

Please allow as much planning time as possible. SABER invites everyone to help break the silence of sexual assault.