The Binghamton University Feminist Collective hosted its annual “Red Zone” week of events to spread awareness for the period between the first week of classes and Thanksgiving break, when over 50 percent of sexual assaults happen on college campuses.

This year’s Red Zone Week included an educational gathering on Monday, goal setting and agitation planning on Tuesday, chalking the Spine on Wednesday and a collective healing event on Thursday.

“If something already happened to someone during the first week of school, like during sylly week, we want people to have a space to come to and a support network, even if they might not know anyone, even if they choose not to say anything,” said Liv Rutherford, a senior majoring in philosophy, politics and law and FemCo’s president.

The educational gathering event taught students about the Red Zone and how it affects the campus community. The goal-setting and agitation-planning event crafted demands for change from BU and gave attendees a chance to “make your voice heard,” according to FemCo’s Instagram account. The chalking scheduled for Wednesday would have had attendees write messages of support for survivors and statistics on sexual assault on the Spine. However, the chalking event was postponed due to weather.

FemCo will host a collective healing event on Sept. 3. Rutherford told Pipe Dream the collective healing event was a new addition to this year’s Red Zone Week.

The healing event is going to be “dedicated to a safe, private space for survivors of sexual violence to share their stories if they feel so inclined, or just to sit with a group of supportive people, and allies are also welcome in that environment,” said Rutherford.

According to Alyse Campbell, associate director of student well-being and gender-based violence prevention at Johns Hopkins University, the Red Zone is the six- to 10-week period at the beginning of the semester, when students are attending more parties and gatherings to celebrate their return to campus.

“Alcohol is the tool that is most commonly used by perpetrators in cases of sexual assault,” wrote Campbell. “Because of an increase in social gatherings and parties during this time, there is the potential for increased use of drugs and alcohol.”

“Though there is a relationship between alcohol and sexual assault, it is imperative to make clear that sexual assault is never the fault of the survivor,” she continued. “No matter if a person was using drugs or alcohol, if they had had sex with the perpetrator before, what they were wearing, how they were dancing, or anything else, the survivor is not at fault.”

Monday’s educational event opened with statistics about sexual violence on campus. According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, women ages 18 to 24 are three times more likely to experience sexual assault and rape than other age groups.

People of color, LGBTQ+ and low-income students are more likely to be assaulted. The Trevor Project found that nearly two in five LGBTQ+ young people have been forced to do “sexual things” they did not want to do.

Approximately 60 percent of Black girls experience sexual abuse by age 18, according to End Rape on Campus. For every Black woman who reports her assault, at least 15 do not.

FemCo’s educational event featured safety alarms for attendees to bedazzle. Miranda Spath, a senior majoring in nursing and the senior advisor of FemCo, expressed that the alarms are intended to be a fun, creative activity, but should not distract from the real issue.

Consent was also a topic of discussion at the event. Rutherford explained that BU defines “affirmative consent” pursuant to New York State’s “Enough is Enough” bill.

According to the Binghamton University Victim’s Assistance and Rape Crisis Center’s website, “Affirmative consent is a knowing, voluntary, and mutual decision among all participants to engage in sexual activity. Consent can be given by words or actions, as long as those words or actions create clear permission regarding willingness to engage in the sexual activity. Silence or lack of resistance, in and of itself, does not demonstrate consent.”

Rutherford further explained that removal of a condom without permission is a form of sexual assault and that sexual assault can happen in intimate relationships.

“There’s also like the ‘man in the bushes’ myth of, ‘oh, you have to be super cognizant of stranger danger, and someone’s gonna jump out of a dark alleyway and sexually assault you,’” Rutherford said. “And like, while that could happen, the majority of sexual assaults happen by someone you know.”

The educational event also featured a discussion section where attendees shared some of the ways they feel campus can prevent rape culture, their experiences in dating and dating apps and the pressure to join Greek life on campus.

FemCo discussed the importance of Greek life transparency so that students know which fraternities are affiliated with the University. They argued this information is inaccessible, creating a dangerous situation for freshmen who attend parties based on slips under their door and cannot verify the fraternities.

The University did not respond to Pipe Dream’s request for comment.

The educational event also provided campus sexual assault resources to the attendees. The University Counseling Center can provide support for survivors of sexual violence. VARCC also provides confidential support for people who have experienced interpersonal violence and can be emailed at empower@binghamton.edu.

“If you’re a survivor, I think it’s important to do things for your own mental and physical well-being, like identify your support networks and identify resources to take your mental and physical health into account,” Rutherford said. “And then, if you’re not a survivor, just doing things like asking what your partner wants and really listening to what they tell you, and having conversations about your wants and their wants and each other’s boundaries, as well as challenging rape culture.”