The University of Denver’s student organization Rape Awareness and Gender Education (RAGE) met last week to plan activities for the year that include setting up a table on the Bridge every month to get the word out about the group..
Officers Jen Calabrese and Jessica Campbell said RAGE is also planning a T-shirt campaign to spread awareness of the rules of consent according to Colorado state law.
“There are a lot of people who don’t understand about consent,” said Campbell. “For example, in Colorado, you can’t give consent if you’re under the influence of alcohol.”
RAGE will also be involved in activities during Alcohol Awareness Week, which runs Oct. 22-Oct. 27. Calabrese said that alcohol consumption may make rape more probable and it’s important for students to know how to avoid dangerous situations.
“We want to help people understand the risks of sexual assault when alcohol is involved,” said Calabrese. “We want everyone to be as safe as they can.”
RAGE intends to be an active part of student life all year, but its biggest events come during spring quarter with Sexual Assault Prevention Week, which is April 7-11. The group will have a table on the Bridge and is undertaking an aggressive ad campaign to spread awareness. In addition, the annual Take Back the Night rally is currently scheduled to take place in April.
RAGE is only in its second year as a student organization. Campbell and Calabrese started the organization in 2006 because they felt campus awareness of the issue was lacking.
“Rape is a really underappreciated issue on campus,” said Calabrese. “A lot of people don’t like to discuss it because it’s an uncomfortable issue, so they just ignore it.”
RAGE does more than just deal with sexual assault issues, she said.
“It’s only half the acronym,” said Campbell. “We do deal with issues of gender and how men and women are portrayed in the media.”
One of RAGE’s goals is to spread awareness of gender inequality on the DU campus by a possible screening of the movie “Boys Don’t Cry” later this year.
RAGE meets every Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at Jazzman’s Café in the Driscoll Center. Free pizza is available for all those who attend, and meetings are open to anyone interested in becoming a member.
