Campus Safety Project on mission to promote safe sex

The USM Campus Safety Project has embarked on a month-long series of events aimed at raising awareness about consent, safe sex and sexual assault among students.

“The Campus Safety Project hopes to inspire a sense of safety among students and staff,” said Clara Porter, Campus Safety Project coordinator. “We want to promote healthy relationships. This can only be done if people are aware of what is healthy and what is not.”

The Campus Safety Project is a university-wide effort to provide education and training to students and faculty on sexual harassment, assault and relationship abuse. It was made possible by a grant from the Department of Justice under the Violence Against Women Act of 1994; it began in the 2009-2010 academic year, and is in the final semester of its second year.

They provide fliers providing information for those interested in getting involved and information on the myths and realities of safe sex and sexual assault.

Porter said that the project’s main members include an Americorps volunteer, and two student interns studying social work and law respectively. In addition to the interns there are a number of student volunteers.

One of the major goals of the project is to educate students, faculty and staff about how to deal with and recognize sexual assault and relationship abuse, according to Porter. She said most people are not fully aware of what exactly sexual assault entails.

Although its grant runs out after three years, Porter said the Campus Safety Project does not intend to end then. “The plan is to re-apply next year with a focus on providing a full range of victim services on campus,” she said.

Among the more visible actions by the project are the comics dealing with safe sex and consent that have been posted in bathroom stalls on the Gorham campus. According to Porter, these comics are meant to be both entertaining and educational, informing students and staff about difficult issues in a playful manner.

The Campus Safety Project provides training in what kind of behavior students should expect from their peers and teachers. The trainings help show students where to draw the line and when to ask for help.

Porter said the activities in the first year were aimed at educating and training incoming students in preventing sexual assault. They also provided training for faculty and staff.

In its second year, the Campus Safety Project has set a goal of training students and staff, as well as campus law enforcement and judicial boards in issues of consent and sexual assault and making sure everyone has access to the project’s resources. In addition to raising awareness around assault and abuse in relationships, they’re also making an effort to promote the positive aspects of sexuality.

One up-coming event called “Speak About It,” will be held Tuesday, Feb. 15 at the Brooks Student Center in Gorham. According to Porter, “Speak About It,”  was created two years ago by students at Bowdoin College, and is a combination of skits addressing a number of issues such as consent, sexual assault and bystander intervention.