Recent research documents the problem of sexual violence across communities, often finding its causes to be embedded in community and cultural norms, thus demonstrating the need for community-focused solutions. In this article we synthesize research from community psychology on community change and prevention with more individually focused studies…

Political efforts by feminists in the 1970s and early 1980s resulted in the redefinition of rape as physical assault in Canada's 1983 rape law in the Criminal Code. This paper argues that treating a woman's sexuality as "property," as did the rape law prior to 1983, was correct. Redefining rape as sexual assault, and measuring the…

The double entry journal, first suggested by Ann Berthoff in "Forming/thinking/writing," offers a way to break out of the one-way discourse and single-voiced thinking that predominates in traditional rhetoric and academic writing. Typically, double-entry journals are set up so that students quote from a source in the left-hand margin and…

This paper addresses the problem of sexual violence on college and university campuses by presenting an innovative strategy designed to respond to the problem. It describes a consortium of colleges organized around a community rape crisis service and explains how representatives of colleges and universities in the New Haven, Connecticut area have…

This study explores the existence of a continuum of sexual aggression among males and a corresponding continuum of sexual victimization among females. A 12-question Sexual Experiences Survey written in parallel versions for men and women was administered to 3,862 university students. Three levels of sexual aggression/victimization ranging from…

Reviewed the literature on college students' sexual attitudes and behaviors from 1974 through 1985. Found a rise in sexual activity and in openness to discuss sexual issues, a relationship between soft drugs and sexual activity, greater concern for rape, and greater male student awareness of male responsibility for contraceptive behavior.…

Administered the Sexual Experiences Survey to a national sample of women and men enrolled in 32 institutions of higher education. Women's reports of experiencing and men's reports of perpetrating rape, attempted rape, sexual coercion, and sexual contact were obtained. The findings support published assertions of high rates of rape and other forms…

Examined differences in responses to retaliation against sexual assault in a study of 107 students who read vignettes in which the victim or her fiance shot the rapist. Results indicated women regarded the retaliation as more morally justified and were more lenient in their legal judgments. (JAC)

Surveyed 53 female and 36 male college students to examine attitudes on the perceived effectiveness of four rape reduction strategies. Generally aggressive strategies and those placing the locus of responsibility for change upon women were considered most effective. Sex role attitudes were more predictive than subject sex differences. (JAC)

This paper discusses a program that uses the leadership and status of Greek system officers to prevent sexual assault at a large university. This program aims to prevent future assaults by altering the conditions of a rape-prone culture. The presentation comprises a definition and two examples of acquaintance rape situations, a discussion of…

The Media Ethics section of the proceedings contains the following 7 selected papers: "The Ethics Agenda of the Mass Communication Professorate" (Jay Black, Bruce Garrison, Fred Fedler, and Doug White); "What Would the Editor Do? A Three-Year Study of Student-Journalists and the Naming of Rape Victims in the Press" (Kim E.…

Proclivities toward rape and sexual force were studied among 159 college men at a small church-affiliated college. In completing a questionnaire, 34% reported some proclivity to rape or force sex, and those who reported such proclivities held more gender stereotyped attitudes. (SLD)

Attempted to classify convicted rapists, child molesters, and three different control groups, based on information from various assessment sources. Results indicated that behavioral measures combined with life history data could accurately classify subjects well above chance rates. Fairly accurate classification was obtained for three of five…

Court decisions concerning Indiana University and the University of Rhode Island conflict on whether college fraternities are to be held responsible for individual assaults on their premises. The responding parties see both cases as showing that students who really want to get drunk can elude the best efforts to regulate them. (MSE)

Highlights the methodological issues pertinent in the design of studies to evaluate the treatment outcome of rape-related posttraumatic stress disorder. The wide range of interventions for the treatment of postrape sequelae are reviewed, and special attention is given to cognitive-behavioral interventions because they have been subjected to more…