So frequently we (the public) get caught up in the latest news stories where it will be our topic of the day expressing interest, outrage, etc. then moving on to the next "breaking" news item. The Today Show reported on a follow up to hazing and sexual assault allegations by members Sayreville high school football team this morning and I wanted to pass along the information. As I stated below in my original post the school administrators were brave enough to make the difficult choice to cancel the Fall 2014 season so they could further investigate how far reaching this went and whether it included other players and coaches. The Sayreville Board of Education upheld the decision by the Superintendent to suspend the Head Coach and 4 assistants at its meeting Tuesday October 21st. They put the welfare of the victims and all of their students first before an extra-curricular activity. We frequently make judgement's on what not to do but the actions of these administrators should be held up as a model for what to do. Also, let's not forget the victims who have a very long road of healing and recovery. Ultimately it's for that reason that I followed up and re-posted this story.
Below is a link to the NBC report and my original blog post.
Board Approves Sayreville Football Coach Suspension
...A recent story broke in the news about a New Jersey high school who cancelled their very successful football program for the remainder of the 2014 season initially reported as a result of student athlete hazing. The media also reported how athletes parents were upset and angry for such a radical decision that affected an entire team for the misbehavior of a few players. I remember thinking right away that there was more to the story and said as much to my boyfriend Steve since we are both from NJ and felt somewhat related to it. Within a week as the media continued to investigate and report, the news that 7 members of the football team had been arrested for sexually assaulting younger players as part of a hazing ritual. It was an Aha! moment for me as my original speculation was correct and I saw that the entire football program was shut down by the administrators because of an ongoing investigation by the Middlesex County prosecutors office and they didn't know how far reaching it was and for how long it's been going on.
I tuned into the Today Show Monday morning (as I did every morning) eager to see the interview with Dr. Richard Labee, superintendent of the school district and Richard Ciak, school board president of Sayreville War Memorial High School. They became aware of the harassment, intimidation and bullying by the football players and decided to shut it down completely while they conduct further investigation of incidents in other athletic programs and extra curricular activities starting with the coaching staff. These two important leaders of the school district should be held up as a model for the way they have conducted themselves and reacted to what is a horrific incident. They put the well being of the victims first before the potential scrutiny they would be held under by the parents and the community. These men made a difficult decision but then again doing what's right isn't supposed to be easy.
Although there were initial reports of some parents dissatisfied reactions those seem to be in the minority because a very large rally was organized in support of the victims and held over the weekend. Speaking from my experience as a victim/survivor of sexual assault the male victims in Sayreville need to know there are people on their side. It doesn't make what happened to them go away but it will help in their healing process which is a very long road to the end. Male sexual assault is rarely discussed or reported on in the media which can make these victims feel even more isolated but knowing the community and school administrators believe in them can make all the difference in the world.
This is not the only hazing and sexual assault report I have seen recently but it's the only one I've seen that was handled properly!
Showing posts with label The Today Show. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Today Show. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Hazing and Sexual Assault
...A recent story broke in the news about a New Jersey high school who cancelled their very successful football program for the remainder of the 2014 season initially reported as a result of student athlete hazing. The media aldo reported how athletes parents were upset and angry for such a radical decision that affected an entire team for the misbehavior of a few players. I remember thinking right away that there was more to the story and said as much to my boyfriend Steve since we are both from NJ and felt somewhat related to it. Within a week as the media continued to investigate and report, the news that 7 members of the football team had been arrested for sexually assaulting younger players as part of a hazing ritual. It was an Aha! moment for me as my original speculation was correct and I saw that the entire football program was shut down by the administrators because of an ongoing investigation by the Middlesex County prosecutors office and they didn't know how far reaching it was and for how long it's been going on.
I tuned into the Today Show Monday morning (as I did every morning) eager to see the interview with Dr. Richard Labee, superintendent of the school district and Richard Ciak, school board president of Sayreville War Memorial High School. They became aware of the harassment, intimidation and bullying by the football players and decided to shut it down completely while they conduct further investigation of incidents in other athletic programs and extra curricular activities starting with the coaching staff. These two important leaders of the school district should be held up as a model for the way they have conducted themselves and reacted to what is a horrific incident. They put the well being of the victims first before the potential scrutiny they would be held under by the parents and the community. These men made a difficult decision but then again doing what's right isn't supposed to be easy.
Although there were initial reports of some parents dissatisfied reactions those seem to be in the minority because a very large rally was organized in support of the victims and held over the weekend. Speaking from my experience as a victim/survivor of sexual assault the male victims in Sayreville need to know there are people on their side. It doesn't make what happened to them go away but it will help in their healing process which is a very long road to the end. Male sexual assault is rarely discussed or reported on in the media which can make these victims feel even more isolated but knowing the community and school administrators believe in them can make all the difference in the world.
This is not the only hazing and sexual assault report I have seen recently but it's the only one I've seen that was handled properly!
If you are interested in seeing the interview I have provided a link below:
The Today Show
I tuned into the Today Show Monday morning (as I did every morning) eager to see the interview with Dr. Richard Labee, superintendent of the school district and Richard Ciak, school board president of Sayreville War Memorial High School. They became aware of the harassment, intimidation and bullying by the football players and decided to shut it down completely while they conduct further investigation of incidents in other athletic programs and extra curricular activities starting with the coaching staff. These two important leaders of the school district should be held up as a model for the way they have conducted themselves and reacted to what is a horrific incident. They put the well being of the victims first before the potential scrutiny they would be held under by the parents and the community. These men made a difficult decision but then again doing what's right isn't supposed to be easy.
Although there were initial reports of some parents dissatisfied reactions those seem to be in the minority because a very large rally was organized in support of the victims and held over the weekend. Speaking from my experience as a victim/survivor of sexual assault the male victims in Sayreville need to know there are people on their side. It doesn't make what happened to them go away but it will help in their healing process which is a very long road to the end. Male sexual assault is rarely discussed or reported on in the media which can make these victims feel even more isolated but knowing the community and school administrators believe in them can make all the difference in the world.
This is not the only hazing and sexual assault report I have seen recently but it's the only one I've seen that was handled properly!
If you are interested in seeing the interview I have provided a link below:
The Today Show
Friday, October 3, 2014
Inside the Numbers Q&A
...I had tweeted a link the other day of a report on the Today Show pertaining the Good2Go app which takes a guy and girl through mutual consent questions. This prompted a conversation between myself and organizations regarding male rape victims and statistics. Several articles were provided to me which I promised to read and respond with my informed opinion. I consider myself to be not only logical but take great pride in the fact that I can look at all sides when discussing just about any topic. Which brings me to the campus rape and national sexual assault statistics. I very rarely quote statistics in my blogs, tweets or speeches and I appreciated being alerted to the articles and the results of a few studies. Below is my response that I decided I should share in my blog.
The articles discuss the fact that the 1 in 4 women on college campuses likelihood of being sexually assault is overstated when taking a deeper look into those numbers. Logically it's not possible. What I do know and I have written about this recently is that when I have shared my personal story of date rape others feel comfortable enough to share a personal story of sexual violence whether it be theirs or a friends or family members. Very few of those assaults were reported to law enforcement. I am taken aback each time because it reinforces how many victims are out there of which we are just not aware.
Another article reported on the growing campus rape movement in response to the 1 in 4 statistic. The way I look at it is what good comes out of it. There is more awareness and campuses taking responsibility for their students to make it easier for those victims of sexual violence to come forward and speak out. Education and evolving laws are also included in this. The more we open up dialogue regarding what constitutes a sexual assault the less doubt a victim has whether or not they've been assaulted and should come forward to report it.
I was also asked several questions and I would like to address them more completely than I could via Twitter.
SB967 Yes means Yes
I am in support of this Bill/Law. Men and women should all have the opportunity to consent. I feel very strongly about this because I was not afforded the option. I went on a date, was drugged and raped while completely unconscious. I will never be able to fully put into words what it's like to know I was violated without even a fighting chance or getting to say No.
Do I speak out for men falsely accused of rape?
When a woman falsely accuses a man of rape she does irreparable harm to all the legitimate rape and sexual assault victims. This creates doubt in the minds of those who are not believers, i.e. the victim blamers. Although I do not actively speak out for men falsely accused if and when I'm asked I will respond accordingly.
Do I speak out for male sexual assault victims?
Yes, I fully support the men who have been victims of rape and sexual assault as I believe they have a much more difficult road to travel as far as reporting and convictions. I do my best to advocate for them but currently it's not included in my speeches which is my story of being drugged, date raped, through reporting, counseling and the legal process.
Finally, this morning I saw a video on the Today Show regarding a social experiment. Two males and one female decided to go out in public and record the reactions of bystanders while a man was physically abusing a female and then a female physically abusing a male. The public reacted very differently. When the woman was being assaulted men and women quickly stepped in to stop the attack but when the woman was abusing the man people were seen recording it with their phones and even stepping in to join the attack on the man too. I was very disturbed by the public's reaction to the latter. No one should ever be physically or sexually abused. It's not OK, Period! End of story!
I speak out, advocate, tweet and/or blog every day because I believe we need to make the public aware that no one should ever be shamed by any form of sexual assault male or female. The victim didn't do anything wrong their attacker did.
The articles discuss the fact that the 1 in 4 women on college campuses likelihood of being sexually assault is overstated when taking a deeper look into those numbers. Logically it's not possible. What I do know and I have written about this recently is that when I have shared my personal story of date rape others feel comfortable enough to share a personal story of sexual violence whether it be theirs or a friends or family members. Very few of those assaults were reported to law enforcement. I am taken aback each time because it reinforces how many victims are out there of which we are just not aware.
Another article reported on the growing campus rape movement in response to the 1 in 4 statistic. The way I look at it is what good comes out of it. There is more awareness and campuses taking responsibility for their students to make it easier for those victims of sexual violence to come forward and speak out. Education and evolving laws are also included in this. The more we open up dialogue regarding what constitutes a sexual assault the less doubt a victim has whether or not they've been assaulted and should come forward to report it.
I was also asked several questions and I would like to address them more completely than I could via Twitter.
SB967 Yes means Yes
I am in support of this Bill/Law. Men and women should all have the opportunity to consent. I feel very strongly about this because I was not afforded the option. I went on a date, was drugged and raped while completely unconscious. I will never be able to fully put into words what it's like to know I was violated without even a fighting chance or getting to say No.
Do I speak out for men falsely accused of rape?
When a woman falsely accuses a man of rape she does irreparable harm to all the legitimate rape and sexual assault victims. This creates doubt in the minds of those who are not believers, i.e. the victim blamers. Although I do not actively speak out for men falsely accused if and when I'm asked I will respond accordingly.
Do I speak out for male sexual assault victims?
Yes, I fully support the men who have been victims of rape and sexual assault as I believe they have a much more difficult road to travel as far as reporting and convictions. I do my best to advocate for them but currently it's not included in my speeches which is my story of being drugged, date raped, through reporting, counseling and the legal process.
Finally, this morning I saw a video on the Today Show regarding a social experiment. Two males and one female decided to go out in public and record the reactions of bystanders while a man was physically abusing a female and then a female physically abusing a male. The public reacted very differently. When the woman was being assaulted men and women quickly stepped in to stop the attack but when the woman was abusing the man people were seen recording it with their phones and even stepping in to join the attack on the man too. I was very disturbed by the public's reaction to the latter. No one should ever be physically or sexually abused. It's not OK, Period! End of story!
I speak out, advocate, tweet and/or blog every day because I believe we need to make the public aware that no one should ever be shamed by any form of sexual assault male or female. The victim didn't do anything wrong their attacker did.
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