Student-led sexual education troupe Not Ready for Bedtime Players (NRBP) lead an unconventional way of educating the student community at the University of Massachusetts on sexual education and consent culture.

In Dec. 2023, the group held their annual SEXpo skit performances, where they tabled and  invited a sex therapist as a guest speaker to teach students about sexual health.

Lauren Duhr, senior psychology major, and Lillian Bak, a sophomore comparative literature major, are members of NRBP, and said that the SEXpo is an initiative to create a culture of consent for the UMass community.

“We’re able to take something that can be scary and difficult to talk about for a lot of people and turn it into something more approachable,” Duhr said.

UMass Against Rape Culture (UARC) is committed to spreading awareness about preventing sexual assault in the UMass community. The group meets with different student bodies around campus, holding workshops to reduce both rape and sexist culture. UARC also serves as a support group for victims to reach out to instead of law enforcement.

Outside of student-led efforts, UMass provides resources and mandatory online courses to educate students on rape culture and to support them in situations of sexual assault.

According to the UMass Annual Security Report for 2022, UMass required the completion of the “Your Intervention Strategies” online module for the Fall 2023 semester that was released in August, where a total of 5,396 students participated in the module.

“Your Intervention Strategies, We Will: Support Survivors and a Violence-Free Community – Fundamentals of Women’s Health” was an optional program held for students in September 2022, and 53 members of the student population attended.

Bak and Duhr both agreed that UMass’ efforts are not sufficient. Duhr said that the University does not consistently provide enough consent-based education for students.

“Creating a culture of consent goes beyond just having people do a module before coming to campus,” Duhr said. “It takes a lot more to understand what consent looks like and to deconstruct rape culture.”

When UMass released an optional Campus Sexual Assault Climate Survey in 2022, less than seven percent of the student population took part in the survey. The website stated that the response rate was “too low to be confident that the results significantly scale to the entire student population.”

UMass Police Department (UMPD) Deputy Chief Ian Cyr says that the UMass community is content with the department’s work.

“I’ve been here for over 28 years, and in times of crisis nationally or locally, the community generally supports our department,” Cyr said.

Cyr added that UMPD uses a victim-centered approach in cases of sexual assault.

In 2022, there were 18 reports of rape, 11 reports of fondling and two reports of domestic violence. Most of these reports took place on campus, specifically in residence halls.

“The bottom line is, when we receive reports, our inclination is to hold people accountable and to prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law,” Cyr said. “But we are only successful if the victim-survivors are supportive.”

Cyr acknowledged that UMPD has room for growth, and said that he is willing to have conversations with anyone in the UMass community to improve the department.

“We can always look to improve our educational outreach, to reinforce the seriousness of these types of events and to collectively work with our community stakeholders to come up with solutions,” Cyr said.

UMPD benefits from its relationship with the Center for Women and Community (CWC), according to Cyr. The CWC serves as a liaison for victims and the police department.

The CWC provides sexual assault support and advocacy services including information and safety planning for survivors and community members. Students can use their 24-hour hotline for emotional support.

Katherine Crivelli, CWC programming director, said that the center offers support to students throughout western Massachusetts, but UMass is fortunate to have it located on campus.

Cyr was not the only one who spoke highly of the CWC. Bak noted that the center has a great sexual assault advocacy program.

Additionally, the Equal Opportunity and Access (EOA) office oversees Title IX policies and provides survivors with support, resources and guidance. Students can file a Title IX report to address and protect themselves from sex-based discrimination on campus, including sexual violence.

Kerri Tillett, assistant vice chancellor for the EOA office and Title IX coordinator, said that her most memorable moment was working with students to pass the Survivor’s Bill of Rights.

UMass’ Survivor’s Bill of Rights, revived in 2021, expanded the rights and resources for survivors of gender-based violence. This allows students to access resources for no cost without going through a formal, legal process.

“The more we can raise awareness about sexual assault, the better we can support our campus community,” Tillett said.

Zoe Rakarich can be reached at [email protected].