The “Rape Vans” - Stop Calling Them That!!!

Guest comment by Bryan R., SBI Health Education intern

You take a stroll down a frigid Main Street and hear the murmur of the students as they discuss their different modes of transportation home. Many of them slightly inebriated; ready for some pizza and their beds. If you listen in on their conversations, nine times out of ten, somewhere along the way the “rape van” will come up in conversation.

As a senior here at the University at Buffalo, I have far too often heard the Anti-Rape Task Force Safety Shuttles falsely referred to as the “rape vans.” The Anti-Rape Task Force (ARTF) was started in the late 70’s for women by women as a walk station located specifically on South campus. Over the years, it expanded to walk stations on both North and South Campus, and Safety Shuttles that run within a mile and a half radius of South Campus.

When I was a freshman living on South Campus, I vividly remember all my friends waiting inside the lobby of Goodyear Hall on frigid Buffalo nights waiting for what all the referred to as the “rape vans.” But why did they call it that? The main focus of ARTF is to help protect and provide safety services to students of the University at Buffalo, and help protect against rape. The vans are designed as deterrents of violence.

The misnomer has been passed down from student generations to generations. When I went out and polled friends who used to call it the “rape van” why they did so, they replied, “That’s what everyone else called it!” When receiving this response over and over again, each time I chuckled and thought to myself: if only these students were actually educated about rape, and how many people around them have been or will be raped or sexual assaulted at some point within their lifetimes. I had one friend suggest that perhaps as every student exits the van, or if a joke about rape or sexual assault is overheard on the van, that they receive a pamphlet with real statistics like the ones below, and maybe that will be a start:

The Facts (courtesy of RAINN.org):
• Between 1 in 4 and 1 in 5 college women experience a completed or attempted rape during their college years (National Institute of Justice, December 2000).
• 1 in 6 women in the U.S. has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime. (National Institute of Justice and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1998)
• “Almost two-thirds of all rapes are committed by someone who is known to the victim. 73% of sexual assaults were perpetrated by a non-stranger (38% of perpetrators were a friend or acquaintance of the victim, 28% were an intimate and 7% were another relative.) (National Crime Victimization Survey, 2005)”
• 2.78 million men in the U.S. have been victims of sexual assault or rape (National Institute of Justice & Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, 1998)

So, would this work? Would passing out facts like these help students to
realize that rape and sexual assault is NOT a joke, that ARTF services are benefiting them and helping to keep them safe, and that the term is offensive and wrong? Until someone finds an answer, the legacy of the “rape vans” will move onto the next incoming freshman class and the ones following on behind them.

Rihanna and Chris - what can we learn?

"He Hits Me because He Loves Me"
guest comment by SBI Health Education intern, Marquia W.

By now, you've probably heard about Rihanna and Chris Brown and the continuing story; if not, here are the latest links:
Watch Chris: www.eurweb.com/story/eur55822.cfm
Watch Rihanna: www.rnbmusicblog.com/rihanna-2020-full-interview-watch-video/8793/

Listen ladies and gentlemen!

Domestic violence should not happen to anyone. It is absolutely wrong and when it does happen, remember that abuse is NEVER okay and that you are NOT alone. If your partner hits you, puts you down or forces you to engage in sexual activity-THAT IS ABUSE!

Love shouldn’t hurt at all. Remember, love should make us feel healthy and happy about the future. Having a healthy relationship makes us feel good about ourselves and the person we are with. In order to love someone, you have to love yourself as well. You should be able to communicate openly with your partner; be honest with your partner; respect your partner and treat each other as equals. Always keep in mind what the relationship means to you.

If you know of someone who has been abused contact your local 911 emergency service, or one of the agencies listed below.

National Domestic Violence Hotline
1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
1-800-787-3224 (TTY)
www.ndvh.org

New York State Coalition against Domestic Violence:
24 Hour Domestic Violence and Sexual Violence Hotline
English 1-800-942-6906
Spanish 1-800-942-6908
www.apdv.state.ny.us