University sophomore Rebecca Sprinson is a member of what may be one of the best sexual health peer-education programs nationwide: the Sexual Wellness Advocacy Team.
Last week, she got to fly halfway across the country to perform for dozens of universities and to receive inspirational guidance from sexual health experts.
“It’s an amazing experience” to surround oneself with people who have 20 years experience in sexual assault prevention, she said. “You realize you’re not alone.”
Sprinson was one of the five SWAT members hand-picked by the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CALCASA) to perform at its fall event in Ohio last week.
CALCASA and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women co-sponsored the two-day event, called the Campus Training and Technical Assistance Institute. Advocates gathered to discuss current sexual assault prevention theory and to provide feedback to college programs such as SWAT.
The sponsors even paid for the University students’ airfares to Columbus, Ohio, and for their hotel accommodations.
SWAT, a joint program of the ASUO Women’s Center and the Office of Student Life, receives its funding from the Justice Department, and the grant requires university recipients to attend three conventions each year.
SWAT members performed the interactive theater workshop they act out for classes and Greek houses before the convention’s roughly 400 attendees, who then critiqued the presentation’s effectiveness for college students.
“Our feedback was overwhelmingly positive,” said University senior and SWAT member Anthony Green. “It was pretty amazing.”
During the workshop, group members assume the roles of four distinctive characters who deal with the aftermath of a fictional man’s rape of his girlfriend. SWAT members then separate the audience into small groups led by each of the characters, who explain their points of view on the issue.
“People approached us and said how impressed they were,” Sprinson boasted.
Other universities want the University SWAT team to reach their students, and Eastern Washington University is creating a fund to pay for the team’s performance, Green said.
The institutes allow attendees, such as public health agencies, campus law enforcement officials and educators, to exchange current practices, theory and ideas central to sexual assault prevention.
Green said peer-health education works best to provide a knowledgeable discourse for students.
“You’re talking about sex, gender, relationships,” he said. “These are all issues students experience personally.”
Sheryl Eyster, assistant dean of Student Life, and Abigail Leeder, SWAT project coordinator, joined students at the event. The Office of Student Life and the Women’s Center have secured nearly $500,000 for sexual assault prevention on campus since 2002.
SWAT’s professionalism and its “ability to engage the audience” was honoring to watch, Eyster said.
“They have evolved into a group that is considered to be one of the best in the nation,” she said.
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