Student Health Services (SHS) and Kean University Peer Educators hosted a two-day event consisting of a movie-screening and a discussion panel about the film "Roll Red Roll". This movie was used to educate students on the importance of sexual assault. In these events, students could see the effects of sexual abuse and how to prevent this situation on campus.
The film was shown on Tuesday, April 6 and the panel followed on Wednesday, April 7. There were two possible screening times, one at 3:30 p.m. and the other at 7:00 p.m. The two-hour showing was conducted through Zoom and students were able to comment on the movie through the chat feature if they pleased.
"Roll Red Roll" is a documentary about a sexual assault case that took place in 2012. The film follows the incident that started in Steubenville, Ohio, but gradually grew awareness to other parts of the world. In this piece, a 16-year old girl is sexually assaulted by two football players at a party. From this, the movie exposes the truth and difficulties that came with the case.
The documentary approaches many issues apart from sexual violence. It also brings light to the topics of peer pressure, superiority in sport teams and the role of social media. These three aspects played a major role in the case, showing students how it can influence a situation. From watching this film, students were able to fully grasp how severe the situation can be and the consequences for all involved.
On the Cougar Link page, as well as before the film, students were made aware about the topics within the documentary. Graphic context, sexual assault and rape were heavily mentioned in the film and SHS made sure students were informed before starting the movie. Additionally, aware of the sensitive topics, SHS told students they could leave the viewing at any time.
On the following day, a discussion panel spoke about the topics and themes within the documentary. Similar to the film, two dates were provided for attendance, 10:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. In the panels, students learned about the topics mentioned and the steps to prevention. As done for the movie, SHS informed students to leave whenever they felt uncomfortable.
Alongside SHS, Office of Community Standards and Student Conduct, Kean Counseling Center and University Police were present in the panel. Additionally, a prevention coordinator and councilor from Union Country Rape Crisis Center were invited to speak about the importance of sexual assault awareness. These groups of distinguished members collaboratively spoke about consent, factors that can affect decision making and the roles of others as well as social media.
This event spoke on major issues and SHS made sure students were properly informed. In their presentations, resources from on and off campus were given to students so that they can reach out if needed. These topics are highly important and it is SHS’s mission to make sure that students feel safe and protected at all times. If students ever need to reach out, they can contact SHS and they will be more than happy to assist.
