North Carolina Central University
March 14,1991
R$VP Sponsors Phonathon
North Carolim Central University
will be spotisorkig a telejihoiie cam-
jpaign March 12-14 to raise scholar
ship funds. More than 175 students
have volunteered to call alumni. Last
spring Over SlSjOCO was raised by 57
students. Nineteen local businesses
are bacicing the phonaihon and have
donated itrizes including dinners for
two and Cassettes or compact disks.
Other businesses are providing sou
venirs and refreshments for three
nights of work at a 40-phone bank at
Didce University.
Members of the R$VP Student Phonathon Committee: first row, left to right, Stephanie
Troy, Dina Walker, Kelsha Peterson and Tina Buford;
Back row, left to right, Tisha Junious, James Dickens, and Janet Pickett.
The Realities of Date Rape
By Roderick G. Freeman
Staff Writer
Picture this hypothetical situation. Steve asks Kelly to go out on a date
and she excq)ts. He takes her to the most expensive restaurant in town and
then treats her to a movie. Afterwards, they go back to her apartment where
Steve begins to make sexual advances towards Kelly. She says no, but he
still persists. Steve ends up raping Kelly; his only excuse was that “she
wanted it.”
Although the situation illustrated above was fictional, the idea of rape
exists. Rape is a horrible crime that cannot be easily forgotten, and it is also
a crime which has unclear meanings. At North Carolina Central Univer
sity, the rape that we as both students and young adults may face is called
date rape. Date rape is something that both women and men should know
about.
First of all, date rape is a sexual assault committed against a woman
usually by someone she knows. There have been rumors stating that all
rape is committed by strangers, but FBI statistics show that between 50-
70% of all rapes, both parties are acquainted. Date rape often happens be
cause of poor communication between people and mixed messages. The
fact is, that when a woman says no, she generally means no.
Another excuse rapists offer as their defense is that if a woman flirts
with a man or wears sexy clothing, then she is “asking for it." No one asks
to be raped. Everyone likes to look attractive and presentable. A woman
has many rights when it comes to sex, one of them being that she has the
right to dress how she pleases, no matter how provocative.
Although many men may disagree with this, another right that a woman
has is to agree to have sex...and then change her mind at the spur of the mo
ment. No still means no, whether it is said before or after agreeing to have sex.
Men do not have the right to pressure a woman into sex if 1.) they paid for a
dinner or a night out, 2.) they’ve had sex with her before or 3.) they think that
she enjoys being forced to have sex.
By the way guys, if you’re thinking of getting her dmnk before having
sex. North Carolina Slate law says that if a person is too drunk to give consent,
your actions are considered as second-degree rape. If convicted, you could re
ceive a maximum sentence up to 40 years in prison.
The most important thing for a woman to do if she i s raped i s to seek help.
Both the Rape Crisis Center in Durham and the Counseling Center here on
campus offer services. Hospitals are also equipped to treat rape victims for
injuries, diseases, etc. You may also want to report the rape to the police or
campus security. Basically, it’s still your decision to report the rape, but doing
so will help to speed up the capture of the rapist.
All in all, you should be careful when you are alone on campus or with
someone you don’t know well. Rape is an ugly crime, but it’s not the victim’s
fault.
Here’s a word of advice to all of the men on campus: even though the
women outnumber the men at NCCU, they should be treated with the proper
respect that they deserve. All black women are beautiful and we, as black
men, should protect and cheri sh them.