Editor's note: IntroDUCKtion performances are not open to the public. Media requests should be directed to Julie Brown at 541-346-3185.

EUGENE, Ore. -- (July 22, 2009) - When Rebecca Sprinson thinks about the definitive experience of her college years at the University of Oregon, she doesn't immediately think of a classroom or her recent graduation ceremony. She credits her involvement in an important campus organization where she educated peers about sexual wellness for four years as the most meaningful leadership training for her future career plans.

UO's Sexual Wellness Advocacy Team (SWAT) advocates for healthy sexual relationships and works to prevent sexual assault and dating violence on campus. The student group of 18 participants is a program of the Office of Student Life and the Associated Students of the University of Oregon (ASUO) Women's Center.

"It is an innovative and honest program especially because the information is coming from other students," said Sprinson.

SWAT has two components: a weekly class during the academic year where students create and present theater-based workshop presentations for their peers, and a summer production performed for incoming students during new student orientation.

The summer theatrical performances occur during the nine summer orientation sessions, called IntroDUCKtion, for incoming students and their parents in July and August. Many of the peer educators who inform their friends and classmates about sexual wellness joined the group because of the lasting impression made on them during an IntroDUCKtion performance, "It Can't Be Rape." The production focuses on bystander intervention and the role of peers in college relationships. The production tackles important issues of alcohol use, sexual identity and defining consent in sexual relationships.

This summer, Megan Matthews, a UO junior studying theater and psychology, is portraying a sexual assault survivor in the play she remembers viewing as an incoming freshman three years ago. Coming from Summerville, a small Eastern Oregon town of just over 100 residents, she said the play made a meaningful impression.

"I loved the openness of the university right away to tackle such an important topic before classes even started," said Matthews. "I wanted to be involved and jumped at the chance when I got the opportunity."

During the academic year SWAT holds workshops for residence halls, fraternities, sororities, academic classes, student government, student athletes and other campus and community groups. The group has also presented at national and statewide conferences.

In the 2008-09 academic year, SWAT facilitated approximately 30 workshops on campus, reaching more than 1,000 students. In addition, the orientation program is mandatory for more than 4,000 incoming students. SWAT includes eight men and 10 women. According to Abigail Leeder, SWAT director, this critical mass of male participants helps SWAT create scenarios where men are active bystanders and allies in violence prevention on campuses.

"It's important -- especially as a male -- to take a stand against negative behavior and to set an example for others," said Eric Lake, a UO senior majoring in marketing. "SWAT is a great way for me to get involved and to help to break down stereotypes about fraternity men."

Lake is a member of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity along with a number of other male participants in SWAT.

UO received two federal grants from the U.S. Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women that helped to create violence prevention efforts on campus from 2002-2006. In 2006, UO created the position of director of Sexual Violence Prevention and Education, hired Leeder, and has expanded the reach of the SWAT programming.

About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is a world-class teaching and research institution and Oregon's flagship public university. The UO is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an organization made up of the 62 leading public and private research institutions in the United States and Canada. The University of Oregon is one of only two AAU members in the Pacific Northwest.

Contact: Julie Brown, UO media relations, 541-346-3185, julbrown@uoregon.edu
Source: Abigail Leeder, director, Sexual Violence Prevention and Education, 541-346-1198, aleeder@uoregon.edu

Links: Sexual Wellness Advocacy Team (SWAT), http://www.uoregon.edu/~women/swat/index.html; IntroDUCKtion, http://orientation.uoregon.edu/SO_Pages/SO_IntroDUCKtion.html

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