This article was originally published in The University Press, Lamar University’s student newspaper, on April 12, 2018.
Story by Eleanor Skelton
UP contributor
With the explosion of allegations against celebrities, the rise of the #MeToo movement, and politicians expressing inappropriate views of women, the time is ripe for frank discussions and exploration of sexual assault.
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Lamar’s Student Health Center’s health education specialist Marie Murray is organizing several events on campus in the next few weeks to highlight the issue.
The first event was “Walk A Mile in Her Shoes,” April 3, and continues with a “Bringing in the Bystander” training workshop at 10 a.m., April 21, and concludes with “Denim Day” on April 25. The events are presented in partnership with Lamar Institute of Technology.
“I work to increase awareness, knowledge and skills, so that students feel comfortable speaking up and acting in situations to prevent sexual assaults and domestic violence from occurring or continuing,” Murray said.
“Walk A Mile in Her Shoes” featured men wearing red high heels.
“(It is a) fun way of opening up dialogue between all students concerning sexual assault,” Murray said in an email. “And the men get the perspective of what it’s like to walk in ‘her’ shoes.”
The “Bringing in the Bystander” workshop is a half-day event developed by the University of New Hampshire.
“The workshop is intended to educate and empower students so that they can confidently and successfully intervene in sexual assault or domestic violence situations,” Murray said.
“Bringing in the Bystander” is open to all students and lunch will be provided, but only 35 spaces are available. Students can register at lamar.edu/healthed.
All students are encouraged to wear denim on April 25, Murray said. “Denim Day” is part of an international movement that grew out of a 1998 Italian Supreme Court decision overturning a rape conviction because the victim wore tight jeans. The Health Center will host a photo booth in the Recreational Sports Lobby where students can show off their denim in support.
Diane Foreman, assistant director at the Student Health Center, said the Health Center provides counseling and limited medical services to any student who reports sexual assault, and all services are confidential.
“The student is then encouraged to report the assault to the Lamar University Police Department as well as the campus Title lX Coordinator,” Foreman said in an email.
Murray said students must be the ones to take action to prevent sexual assault, rape, and domestic violence.
“It is only through their actions that change can occur,” she said. “Actions can start with simple discussions.”
If a student is in a situation where they feel they need an off-campus resource, the Beaumont Child Abuse and Forensic Services office has helped victims from six months to 83 years old, Brenda Garison, consultant and certified examiner, said.
Her office performs an exam that gathers evidence along with underwear and sends the rape kit to the Department of Public Safety, where it is stored for up to two years. CAFS also provides antibiotics for STDs after an assault.
Beaumont Police Department Lt. Karen Froman has worked in the sex crimes unit since the mid-1980s and said she strongly encourages victims to report assaults as soon as possible, as delay makes prosecution challenging.
“The further away you get from an event, we’re going to lose evidence,” she said, adding other factors like statute of limitations, tracking down witnesses and relying on their memories. “More and more in this society, where in the past we absolutely were going to believe a victim, (with) people with watching CSI shows and all that, they want evidence, they want forensics. Timeliness is very important.”
Garison said the medical exam can be embarrassing for men as there is no male nurse examiner.
“I had a 28 year old male in Orange County, he came forward,” she said. “He kept telling me, ‘If he would do this to me, he’d do it to anybody’. They found (the suspect) guilty in Orange County.”
Froman said she used to hold workshops for Lamar and shared some of the advice she gave students over the years.
“Even if you decide not to [report], which I don’t advocate for, you’re got to talk to somebody,” she said. “Counseling, counseling, counseling.
“First of all, trust your instincts. Don’t let anybody push you. If it doesn’t feel right, it is not right, step away. Don’t be embarrassed.”
Froman said she recommends students go out in groups and use the buddy system.
“I’ve always said that if you’re out, and you see your friend is getting wasted, say OK, she may need that or he may need that, so I’m gonna be his buddy — I’m gonna be his watchdog,” she said. “And tomorrow, I might decide I’m gonna go out, and somebody’s going to watch over me. I think that’s the most important thing. When you see somebody in a vulnerable place, step up.
“There’s always the possibility that somebody out there is a predator and you don’t know who they are, so just always make sure you’re either aware of your surroundings or if you’re in a vulnerable position, have a good friend.”
Froman and Garrison also warned that even over-the-counter medications like Benadryl can be used as a date rape drug, not just the ones students may have heard of, like Rohypnol. Benadryl showed up in a hair test in one of the cases Garrison worked with.
“In Jefferson County, we’re very victim-oriented,” Froman said. “When you call the police, the first thing we’re going to do is get you to a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner program. Then we’re going to do the interview with you, get our evidence, stabilize you.”
“(If) we got a guy out there doing it to you, he’s out there doing it to other people, too.”
For more, call the Student Health Center at 880-8466 or visit lamar.edu/ healthed. Beaumont Child Abuse and Forensic Services is located at 810 Hospital Drive, Suite 190. Call 832-0421 or visit cafstx.com for an appointment.
Eleanor Skelton 