Service Learning Blog 2

1.       Activism:

This week Chelsea and I gave a presentation for the Pan Council. Pan meetings have delegates from every sorority and many fraternities on campus, that come to get information on what is going on with in Greek life.  We talked about having speakers come to each chapter from Victim Services, and made sure everyone was aware of our underawarness drive. We passed out cut outs of underwear made from paper with all of the information and how to contact us so they could bring the information back to their specific chapters. We had a great success in reaching so many people at one time.  The pitfall would be how nervous we were and that we may have not performed to the best of our ability. Next week we will continue to reach out to the chapters. Also next week an advocate from victim services will be going to Pi Phi and Chi Omega to conduct an open dialogue forum about boundaries.

2.       Reflection

The Activism we have done this week relates to the importance of women working together. Although Chelsea and I are a small portion of Greek life and the UCF community, our voices are able to be heard. We were able to inform a number of people about the needs of women in our community who have been victims of sexual assault.  It is extremely important for people especially women on campuses to be aware of the dangers of sexual assault on college campuses.  “The FBI’s Uniform Crime Report…estimated that one in four U.S. college women was a victim of rape or attempted rape” ( Kirk, Okazawa-Rey, 262). This is a staggering statistic, and shows that there should be more education for women who spends a great amount of time on college campuses. Through our speaking to Pan we hope that we have opened their minds to the dangers they should be aware of, and the importance of having a connection with Victim Services to continue this education.

                One of the main reasons we decided to have the advocate address the problem of boundary setting is because we feel this is a subject women would greatly benefit from being more informed on. Boundaries are not always clear, and it is not always clear how and where to set these boundaries, which is dangerous for women and men.  “Ninety percent of college women who are victims of rape or attempted rape know their assailant, usually a classmate, friend, boyfriend, or ex-boyfriend.” (Kirk, Okazawa-Rey, 262)  This is another surprising statistic for most college aged women. They believe the occurrence of rape comes from “stranger danger”, and this myth can perpetuate violence. If women are able to set clear boundaries with the men they are intimate with, it would serve to better protect both parties.  This would have to start with the knowledge of what is appropriate and what is not.

3.       Reciprocity

In return for this work I think I am gaining a better understanding of my own experiences. I have definitely found myself standing stronger in my personal relationships, especially my relationships with men. I also feel phenomenal about trying to make a positive impact on the Greek community, because it is a community that has given me so much.

Service Learning Log 1

1.  ACTIVISM:

This week I volunteered with Victim services for their free showing of Vagina Monologues.  The show was a great success.  They reached maximum capacity and had to have extra seats brought in! It was great to get a real idea of Victim Services is doing on campus, and the impact they are making with students. The pitfall would be a lack of organization. Myself and some other volunteers included were unsure of what exactly we should be doing. It made me nervous not knowing exactly what my role was.  It was good though to make some connections with people who are very involved in victim Services and to get their opinion on our project.

 2. REFLECTION:

The activism I did this week related to the chapter we are reading in numerous ways. The Vagina Monologues addresses many of the issues women face today. Some more humorous like the way media portrays women.  A good example of the societal pressures pushed upon women through the media, was a monologue about hair. A woman in this monologue discusses how waxing, shaving, lazar , etc, all seem so unnecessary. She even compared her bare vagina to a vagina of a child. It does make you stop and think about why this is the norm, and why women must go to such a silly extreme to feel they are clean and beautiful.  They also talk about the violence issues facing Black women. They touched on how African American women were used as producers of slaves during that era. Their bodies were not respected by any means. Which is also described in our book,  “During slavery times, the rape of black women in the United States was legal and commonplace.”( Kirk, Okazawa-Rey, 263) It continues to talk about how the bodies of African American women were seen as less valued than the bodies of white women. Both the Vagina Monologues and our book continue that this is not an issue that was dealt with in history, but is a very real and still occurring issue today. “The average sentence given to the rapist of a black woman was two years…to the rapist of a Latina…five years and…to the rapist of white women…ten years.” (Kirk, Okazawa-Rey, 264). These statistics are staggers and highlight a real injustice in our society.

By Victim Services bringing this show to campus for free, they were able to educate around 300 students, about issues facing women today. They conversations that the show started are not able to be calculated, but no doubt made an effect on the audience attending, and anyone whom they choose to share their new information with.  The women and men who attended this show were undoubtedly filled with a new sense of pride and outrage of many problems with in society today. I know I felt empowered by the show and I am sure many others did as well.

3. RECIPROCITY:

I know that I gained much more than I put in for helping with the Vagina Monologues. I was able to learn from women who had been through such hard times, and faced many hardships head on. I think from a feminist perspective, the empowering of women is extremely important, and this show definitely strives to do that.