College students, especially new students, face a higher risk of sexual assaults between the time of move-in to Thanksgiving break. This period is known as the Red Zone.
This is a national trend due to an increase of social events and new students being unfamiliar with the college area and the resources available to them, said Sally Thomas, director of Indiana University’s Office for Sexual Violence Prevention and Victim Advocacy.
About 50 percent of the sexual assaults that will occur during the academic school year occur during the Red Zone, she said.
Bystander intervention is an effective method to preventing assaults, Thomas said. However when new students attend social activities, especially where alcohol may be involved, it’s common for them to not have an established friend group to help them when a harmful situation arises.
“I think that if more people are aware that this is a time when harm is caused, if more people are paying attention, more people willing to step in, they see a problematic situation, they kind of intervene and make sure it doesn't go too far, we'll see less harm done to our students,” she said.
There is long-term damage when a student experiences sexual violence that can impact them past their college career, Thomas said, which is why preventing it now is vital.
Campus resources available to students who experience sexual violence are the Office for Sexual Violence Prevention and Victim Advocacy, the Indiana University Police Department and the Title IX office.
There are also off-campus resources such as Middle Way House that support people who have experienced domestic violence, sexual assault or human trafficking.