It is Friday night and the news about the party at the keg house has been floating around campus all week. School has been in for only a few days now but, man, weren’t they the longest few days in your life?
You need this R&R time because ever since school cut into your social life, which through summer consisted of the beach in the days and partying at night, you are beginning to go through some serious withdrawal.
You are all decked out and looking pretty sweet with your cutest outfit on. The usual crew has gathered at the dorm to exchange clothes and a community will caravan to the party together.
You get there and once you have said your hellos and found out exactly where the bar is at, you make your way to the dance floor. The music is raging and by the time you polish off your fourth screwdriver you are ready to go. It is pretty crowded but you and your friends begin to find some interesting dance partners. The night moves on and before you know it, it is already midnight. You have been dancing with the same guy for about two hours now, but in those two hours you’ve found out all the usual info.
The two of you have ended up going upstairs to chat a little more. You have met other guys that night, but this one seems more than just a name and a great body. Before you can catch your breath, the two of you begin to indulge in some major kissing. The kissing develops into caressing, and the two become more and more intense, but as your mind begins to clear up from all that alcohol, you decide things need to slow down.
Yes, this was all fun and games, but its time to come back to reality and in the real world you do not sleep around and this guy is about two hours past being a stranger. Unfortunately, the other party does not share your desire to discontinue the activities. You give him a soft, “I think we should stop” which did not quite do the trick. That leads to the more firm, “Please, I want you to stop” and that one goes over even worse.
It is easy to think that you are this invincible superhuman who will never be a statistic. But its pretty hard for that superhuman to rely on her superhuman strength with four screwdrivers and five beers in her system. It’s even harder to stop a man that can bench press 350 pounds.
But if it were not for those drinks would you still have been the victim? You know, it was that black dress you just bought, if you did not want this to happen you would not have dressed that way. It was your fault for going upstairs with him… Does any of this sound familiar?
Well, it was not the dress or the way you laughed at all his jokes; it was date rape and one out of 10 women are acquaintance raped, which means forced sex by someone they know. That person being anyone ranging from someone they meet two minutes ago or two years ago. Date rape could happen even if you are engaged to the person. No one can tell you when and where to have sex. College women ages ranging from 18-23 are the highest age group of women raped. This could happen to you or the person sitting next to you.
College is a scary time – there are many new experiences and adventures waiting to happen. But do not rush into anything too soon. Take your time and weigh every situation with a clear mind. And remember that “No” means No, and the first step to avoid a bad situation is to be aware of it. Do not be the victim.
Echelle Avelar, a junior journalism major, is photography editor of the Campus Times. She can be reached by e-mail at avelare@ulv.edu.
