As the fall semester approaches us, it is important to be aware of the Red Zone. The Red Zone is the time spanning the start of the fall semester through Thanksgiving break when more than 50% of all college sexual assaults are statistically found to occur, according to RAINN. The Red Zone time frame coincides with the beginning rush of party culture, peer pressure, and unfamiliarity of both campus life and resources.

As NJIT’s prevention specialist, I am committed to serving and educating our community on the topic of sexual violence. As a result, my hope for fall semester is for students to know they are not alone. Many of us have experienced that puzzling beginning – the one when you are trying to navigate a new space, create new friends, have fun experiences, all while attempting to be safe – as a first-year or transfer student. This anonymous prompt asks you to call back on that experience.

Please answer the following prompt or prompts that stick out to you. All these responses are anonymous and do not require any identifying information. We are grateful for all submissions and will attempt to include as many as possible. We cannot guarantee that all submissions will be a part of the Red Zone Installation.

There is no right or wrong story. The purpose of this installation is to dispel victim-blaming and illuminate how the beginning rush of college life impacts us all in various ways. It also seeks to uplift the advocacy efforts made by the “What Were You Wearing” Exhibit. For more information, please visit: https://dovecenter.org/what-were-you-wearing-exhibit/. If you’d like to share a story like the ones included in the “What Were You Wearing” exhibit, that is welcomed and supported.

Prompts:

Describe what the first week of school was. How did you feel? Was it what you expected?

If you were a survivor during the Red Zone period, what would you want people to know?

If your friend was a survivor during the Red Zone period, what would you want people to know of your experience as a supporter or witness? 

If there is something you’d tell your first-semester freshman year self, what would it be?

If there is something you’d tell a first-semester freshman, what would it be?