The “culture of fear” and sexual assault were addressed from a number of angles and perspectives by both men and women Tuesday.

Issues involving sexual assault and violence, along with cultural reinforcement of certain behaviors, were discussed by the Women’s Studies program.

“We don’t want to perpetuate the idea that assault only happens at night, by strangers,” said Marissa Klousie, graduate assistant for the Margaret Sloss Women’s Center. “Most of the time they happen in places and by people known to the victim.”

Staff from the Women’s Studies program, representatives from the Sexual Assault Response Team and ACCESS, and several students were present for the round-table discussion about the “culture of fear,” a phrase used by the presenters to describe cultures that enforce women living in a state of fear.

Jamie Taylor, senior in liberal studies, said more than anything else, the “culture of fear” is really a control factor over women.

“Women are thought to control sex, so when an assault happens, women are blamed for it,” she said.

Diane Price-Herndl, director of the Women’s Studies program and professor of English, shared statistics on sexual assault and rape that showed two-thirds of all rapes were committed by an individual the victim knew, and the majority occurred during the day within one mile of the victim’s residence.

Ana North, sophomore in biology, said that, although statistics may say strangers aren’t responsible for the bulk of attacks, it doesn’t mean they should be ignored. “A lot happens at home, but is it still smart to go out alone at night?” she said.

Steffani Simbric, coordinator for the Sexual Assault Response Team, said the statistics for sexual assault cases usually aren’t the most reliable, since they are generally underreported.

“We’ve had one case since January, but I’ve heard of more through the grapevine,” she said. “With most assaults going unreported, there’s no way to tell what we really know.”

In regards to preventive measures, Klousie brought up the issue of self-defense courses women can take – and then explained how they actually play into the “culture of fear.”

“If a woman who has been to a course gets assaulted, people will ask her why she didn’t defend herself and blame her,” she said.

Tony Shook, junior in horticulture, brought up an interesting point in terms of the perception of rape in relation to males.

“Most guys think that if there was nothing forceful about the incident, then it wasn’t rape,” he said. “It sounds ridiculous, but I’ve heard some people say that we shouldn’t be teaching women to defend themselves, but should be teaching men not to assault women.”