On Tuesday night, students, athletes and members of campus Greek life came together for the “Sex Signals” presentation by the Chicago based group, Catharsis Productions.
Educators Anne Dufault and David Seeber presented their improv theatrical program about sexual assault and bi-stander intervention to students in the Bowen-Thompson Student Union Ballroom.
Both Dufault and Seeber joined the program three years ago and have traveled the country presenting at college campuses and basic training camps ever since.
“Sex Signals” was brought to BG by Assistant Coordinator for Athlete Services, Meghan Horn and Director of the Wellness Connection and a Title IX Deputy Coordinator, Faith DeNardo. Both are also involved with the National College Alcohol Awareness program and the It’s On Us campaign on campus.
By utilizing NCAA grants and partnering with athletics, Horn combined efforts with Student Wellness and Greek Life to make this presentation possible. Catharsis has been on campus in years past, and the decision was made to bring the presentation back for the National College Alcohol Awareness Week.
“We know unfortunately that alcohol is involved in many sexual assaults and so it is important to talk about those topics combined and what that means with a focus on consent to really understand the dynamics of sexual assault,” DeNardo said.
Along with the It’s On Us campaign, Horn and Denardo said they aimed to educate especially the student athletes in order to put them in a position to be role models on campus.
“We as a campus are really trying to change the culture around sexual violence and assault and educate folks on what that means,” Horn said.
Students wanting to be involved and learn more information about It’s On Us can attend student meetings on Fridays 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the McFall Center.
Speaking with the educators Anne Dufault and David Seeber after the performance, they shared the three main points their programs was based around and which they hoped to leave with their audience.
The first idea was to make consent the norm and to take away ideas that asking for consent is awkward or will “ruin the mood.”
“It’s key and it’s normal,” said Dufault. She also emphasized the importance of taking away the barriers from asking the question as well as respecting the answer.
The second idea was to encourage students to step in and step up when they see a situation where someone may be vulnerable or not in control.
Finally, their program hopes to create a culture where survivors of all identities feel supported and like they are able to come forward to get the help they may need.
“We get to have fun talking about those things and use humor to really have a conversation with our audiences and hopefully give them those three things to walk away with,” Seeber said. “Those three things are choices and when people start making those choices it really does change the culture.”
When asked about the impact this program has had on their lives and the audiences they present to, Seeber and Dufault mention some of their numerous positive experiences.
“It’s been fascinating to see how the conversation has changed just in the past three years. People are so much more open to the conversations,” Seeber said. “We are seeing people questioning these harmful norms that exist.”
“It’s so nice to be part of the conversation about changing this culture and it’s exciting to be with college students who are at a transitional point in their lives. You guys have so much power to really create the change that we need,” Dufault said in response.
Information about Catharsis and ways to get involved can be found on their Facebook or on their website at http://www.catharsisproductions.com.
