SHATTERING
The Red Zone
The Shattering The Red Zone Campaign is a national campaign dedicated to raising awareness and shattering the silence about college sexual violence, specifically by bringing attention to the period during the fall semester when sexual assault is most prevalent.
The Red Zone
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The Red Zone is the time of year, taking place from the beginning of the fall semester to the beginning of Thanksgiving Break, when the majority of college campus sexual assaults happen.
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Fall semester coincides with parties celebrating the return to campus and Greek Life rushing.
This is also when younger students are first exposed to their college campus culture. Many students also have limited education on sexual violence and consent.
Learn More
Get Involved
Shatter The Red Zone Summit
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THE FACTS
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PAVE defines sexual assault as: any kind of non-consensual physical sexual act
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PAVE defines sexual exploitation as: to use someone for one's own advantage in a sexual manner
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PAVE defines sexual harassment as: Unwelcome sexual advances or gestures, requests for sexual favors, and other unwanted conduct of a sexual nature, especially in the workplace or other social settings.
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PAVE defines sexual trauma as: trauma centered around sex, one's reproductive organs, or sexual assault
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PAVE defines sexual violence as: an umbrella term for any kind of non-consensual sexual contact, behavior, or aggression
SEXUAL ASSAULT
6
26.4%
of undergraduate women have experienced sexual assault during college
6
6.8%
of undergraduate men have experienced sexual assault during college
25%
of undergraduate non-binary students have experienced sexual assault during college
Greek Life
The Red Zone’s dates are not entirely coincidental, as they align with the return of students to campus and Greek life’s rush events. Freshmen are particularly vulnerable during this time period, simply because they are in a new and unfamiliar environment and may not know where to report an assault.
Anywhere from
5-50%
of undergraduate students at any given university are members of a Greek Life organization.
Sororities
2
29%
of sorority women are sexually assaulted
3
74%
more likely to be sexually assaulted than non-sorority college women
The National Panhellenic Conference governs 26 national sororities and maintains that no alcohol may be consumed at sorority houses
Why is this a problem?
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Fraternities have no such rule, and sororities are only allowed to co-host with them if the event is dry.
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Sororities rely on fraternities to host social events with alcohol. This means that fraternity men are in charge of the alcohol at these parties, and that the parties are hosted at fraternity houses.
College students are going to drink, and they should be able to do so safely. The NPC should empower sorority women to take back control and have fun under their terms.
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To continue to receive invites to these events, sororities want to maintain a good relationship with fraternities. This can often result in sororities prioritizing the relationship with the fraternity if a fraternity member assaults one of their sorority sisters.
The no-alcohol rule creates a power imbalance between fraternities and soroities, resulting in tolerance when there is misconduct.
Is This What Sisterhood Is?
Sororities are a promise of sisterhood. But when a sister becomes a survivor, she may find that her sisters are not prepared to support her, creating a secondary trauma.
Fraternities
4
3x
more likely to commit sexual assault than non-affiliated men
5
6%
admitted to committing sexual assault, some more than once
6
15%
of fraternity insurance claims involved sexual assault
How Does Fraternity Culture Encourage Sexual Assault?
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Research shows that prior to joining a fraternity, fraternity men commit sexual assault at the same rate as non-fraternity men. However, after joining a fraternity, they become more likely to commit sexual assault.
The study concluded that the Male Peer Support Theory, the theory that certain all-male peer groups encourage, justify, and support the abuse of women, was responsible for causing this divergence in men.
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“To fully prove oneself in some fraternities, the sex act must itself be perceived as exploitative” Nicholas Syrett The Company He Keeps: A History of White College Fraternities
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“Spending time with peers who are accepting of sexual violence leads men to be accepting of sexual violence themselves.” Seabrook et al. 2018
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Caitlin Flanagan, who spent a year researching fraternities, pointed out that when there is an allegation of sexual assault against a fraternity member, “she’s not just putting herself in conflict with one young man who has assaulted her in a dorm room. Now she’s putting herself in conflict with a brotherhood of young men who have sworn loyalty to one another for their lifetime.”
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Toxic Masculinity is: an expression of masculinity that upholds rigid gender norms and stereotypes such as cisgender-heterosexual male dominance, aggression, and power. Overall, these beliefs have both a negative effect on society and on men themselves
Toxic Masculinity positions sexual activity as an indicator of one’s worth or measure of their masculinity.
Hazing
Hazing is any activity enforced by members of a group on a new member that humiliates, degrades, or endangers them.
There Are Resources Available
THE ANTI-HAZING HOTLINE
(888)-668-4293
55% of college students involved in clubs and organizations have been hazed (Allan & Madden, 2008)
There are three components to hazing:
group context
degrading, risky, or humiliating acts
happens whether or not the person wants to participate
36% of students say they would not report hazing primarily because "there's no one to tell," and 27% feel that adults won't handle it right. (Allan & Madden, 2008)
9/10 students who have been hazed do not realize they have been hazed (Allan & Madden, 2008)
Rape Culture
What is Rape Culture?
PAVE defines rape culture as: An environment in which sexual violence is prevalent and normalized.
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PAVE defines sexual assault as an umbrella term for any kind of non-consensual sexual contact, behavior, or aggression
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PAVE defines normalization as: a social process through which ideas or behaviors become socially acceptable
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-Tolerance of sexually inappropriate behavior
-Not holding perpetrators accountable
-Placing responsibility on victims
-Rape “jokes”
-Victim-blaming
-Objectifying others
-Rape Culture Myths
What is a Rape Apologist?
PAVE defines rape apologist as: an umbrella term for someone who blames survivors, has a general disbelief in allegations of abuse, and participates in the normalization of abuse
The Just-World Phenomenon
The Just-World Phenomenon is: the belief that people get what they deserve and the world is just. It is a pillar of rape culture that attempts to justify and rationalize sexual violence.
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The just-world belief is a cognitive bias. It may be implicit, but people often uphold the just-world bias because accepting that bad things can happen to underserving people is difficult and can make us feel unsafe.
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The best way is to practice empathy. By putting ourselves in the shoes of others, we may be able to realize that our judgements are too harsh.
You also may find yourself experiencing the fundamental attribution error: a cognitive bias in which we attribute the outcome of a situation to an individual’s personal attributes rather than the situation. When we begin to realize that people are not fully in control of what happens to them, the more we are able to overcome the just-world bias.
Party Culture
What is Party Culture?
The environment surrounding many college campuses that promotes partying, usually involving alcohol and/or drugs. This culture is synonymous with binge drinking and hooking up simultaneously.
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-Increased access to drugs and alcohol
-Loud, dark, chaotic, and crowded spaces
-Power dynamics between fraternities and sororities
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Drinking often occurs in party settings. With many undergraduate students being below the drinking age, they are often afraid to report. However, some schools have amnesty policies which protect underage students from disciplinary action when they seek assistance for themselves or others for activities that occurred while consuming substances
Additionally, many survivors face additional victim-blaming for drinking, even though it is never their fault.
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When we say sober, we mean free from significant cognitive impairment. We encourage people to have sex when they are sober rather than when they’re under the influence because we know people may say “Yes” to something that they would not have consented to when they were sober. They may be too impaired to properly interpret and process what they are consenting to. Substances make it harder to determine if you have consent and if you want to consent. We also know that the use of alcohol increases instances of sexual violence. Typically, we advise people to refrain from having sexual interactions while under the influence for these reasons.
However, sexual interactions may happen while under the influence, and that doesn’t inherently mean they are non-consensual. Both parties can be okay with being drunk during sex, both can be upset about it, and only one party can be upset about it. All these experiences are valid. When we decide to have a sexual encounter with someone who is under the influence, we assume the responsibility of ensuring they are not significantly cognitively impaired. If we are approached and told that someone felt like they were too drunk to provide consent when we had a sexual encounter with them, we need to respect how they feel and we should validate their feelings rather than tell them it was their fault.
The media we watch has a direct impact on our expectations and what we perceive as the norm.
When most movies and TV shows about college portray constant partying, drinking, and hookups, students may feel like they are missing out if they aren’t also engaging in these behaviors. It also sets this culture on campus as the norm or the ideal, which is not the case for every student or campus.
"At least half of all sexual assaults on college campuses occur after the abuser, the victim, or both are under the influence of alcohol."
(National Institute of Justice)
"More than half of sexual assaults against college women took place in off-campus settings. "
(RAINN)
More than half of incapacitated rapes reported by college women occurred at parties
(The Campus Sexual Assault Study)
Get Involved
Shatter The Red Zone On Your Campus
Get involved on your campus! PAVE has created a toolkit with event ideas, fundraising techniques, and a plethora of graphics for you to use to Shatter The Red Zone.
Host Events
participate in The Clothesline Project, host an Open Mic, or collaborate on an art project!
Fundraise
join our fundraising contest to win a PAVE event for your school!
Educate
Start a PAVE Chapter
Art Contest Winner
Congratulations to Bella Rosenthal, Stolen From Self is our 2023 Shatter The Red Zone Art Contest Winner
Stolen From Self
Her body
All black, dead
Her heart
An empty hole
She’s a dancer
Tight, stiff, closed
Her colorful dreams
Fade into burnt ashes
She’s wearing color
Talents, strengths, personality
It’s separate from her
And dripping away
She wants to fly free
From the cage she’s imprisoned in
To be able to be
Express her beauty
But is there anyone left inside?
I'm trying to heal and recover from trauma and abuse among other things. It's been art, dance, music, and writing that inspire and empower me. I started a healing through writing group, because "Words can voice the things we can't say". I lost the ability to express myself, and it's been different forms of art that have helped me. Having a format to share my truths has been helping me overcome my muteness. Communication has many appearances; it is not just speech.
-Bella Rosenthal
Survivor Stories
Submit any work that tells your story as a survivor of sexual or domestic violence on-campus.
Consent Culture
What is consent?
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Parties must agree mutually and freely without any use of deception. No one is withholding information that would cause the other person to not want to engage in sexual acts with them.
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Consent is an ongoing process and can be taken back at any time. Throughout the sexual activity, consent is asked for and given, especially if the sexual act changes to a different sexual act.
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Consent must be communicated, consent is not implied through a look or through clothing. If the individual is unable to verbally consent, they must communicate their consent using their primary method of communication
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Free from hesitation, coercion, fear, and any other form of influence other than genuine interest in sexually engaging
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In order to give informed consent, one should be free from cognitive impairment from the use of alcohol and/or other drugs
PAVE University: Consent
Building A Culture of Consent
Responding To Disclosure
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When a survivor chooses to disclose to you, explicitly tell them that you believe them.
Here at PAVE, we believe all survivors. Part of building a culture of consent is to believe a survivor when they disclose to you without prodding or casting judgement. To come forward with a story of sexual violence is incredibly vulnerable, and to trust you with disclosure means that your response matters to them.
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Let them know that they are not alone and that there are many resources available to help them. You can direct them to PAVE’s survivor resource website, Survivors.org. Local rape crisis centers and other organizations, such as RAINN or KnowYourIX are also great resources.
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Validate the survivor’s experience. Offer emotional support and words of encouragement, such as, “It’s not your fault” or “thank-you so much for sharing this with me”.
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Don’t underestimate your value as a listener. Providing a safe and judgment-free space for survivors to share can be incredibly healing itself.
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Let survivors have their own voice and control over their bodies again. Ask empowering questions such as, “How can I best support you?” or “What do you need right now?”
Creating Safe Spaces
PAVE University: Survivor Support
Zero Tolerance
One of the defining qualities that separates Consent Culture from Rape Culture is that in Consent Culture we have zero tolerance for sexual violence in any way.
Overcome Common Rape Myths
Myth: False allegations are common.
Fact: An estimated 5% of reported sexual assaults are believed to be false. 90% of women are believed to not report their assault to police, putting the actual estimation of false allegations at closer to .5% (The Cut, 2018)
Myth: College men should be concerned about false allegations.
Fact: Research shows that more college men will experience sexual assault during college (6.8%) than there are suspected false allegations (.5%).
Myth: Only women are assaulted during The Red Zone.
Fact: Male college-aged students (18-24) are 78% more likely than non-students of the same age to be a survivor of rape or sexual assault (DOJ, 2014).
Myth: Sexual assault is not committed by people the survivor knows.
Fact: 85-90% of sexual assaults reported by college women are perpetrated by someone the survivor knows (DOJ, 2014)
Myth: Sexual assault is done through physical force or restraint.
Fact: 23.6% of women and 10.9% of men have experienced sexual coercion. (Basile et al. 2022)
PAVE defines sexual coercion as: The act of using pressure, threats, alcohol or drugs, or force to engage in sexual activity with someone.
The study referenced uses a narrow definition of sexual coercion only covering penetrative sex. PAVE believes any sexual activity, penetrative or not, can be coercive. Therefore, the true number of people who have been coerced is likely higher than research reports.
Myth: I have never seen the alleged perpetrator behave in an inappropriate way, therefore, the allegation must be false
Fact: Just because someone is kind to us does not mean they treat everyone the same way. People show different sides of themselves to different people. Anyone is capable of perpetrating abuse.
Join Us in Shattering The Red Zone
Sources:
1:Cantor, D., Fisher, B., Chibnall, S., Town send, R., Lee, H., Bruce, C., & Thomas, G. (2015). Report on the AAU campus climate survey on sexual assault and sexual misconduct. Washington, DC: Association of American Universities.
2: Minow JC, Einolf CJ. Sorority participation and sexual assault risk. Violence Against Women. 2009 Jul;15(7):835-51. doi: 10.1177/1077801209334472. Epub 2009 May 19. PMID: 19458092.
3: Fierberg, D., & Neely, C. (2018). A need for transparency: Parents, students must make informed decisions about greek-life risks. In H. Nuwer (Ed.), Hazing: Destroying young lives (pp. 42-49). Indiana University Pres
4 Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice Tatum Newberry Foubert 2007
5 David Lisak 2002 “Repeat Rape and The Undetected Rapist.”
6 Campus sexual violence: Statistics. RAINN. (n.d.). https://www.rainn.org/statistics/campus-sexual-violence#:~:text=Women%20Ages%2018%2D24%20Are%20at%20an%20Elevated%20Risk%20of%20Sexual%20Violence&text=Among%20undergraduate%20students%2C%2026.4%25%20of,experienced%20stalking%20since%20entering%20college.
8: Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Rape and Sexual Victimization Among College-Aged Females, 1995-2013 (2014).
9: Basile, K.C., Smith, S.G., Kresnow, M., Khatiwada S., & Leemis, R.W. (2022). The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey: 2016/2017 Report on Sexual Violence. Atlanta, GA: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
10: Allan, E. J., & Madden, M. (2008, March 11). Hazing in View: College Students at Risk Initial Findings from the National Study of Student Hazing.