(Photo Courtesy of Eva Reyes) “CAPE tabling at Free on 3 on Oct. 8 focused on the red zone, consent and alcohol safety.”
Julia Magee
Connector Editor
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and with Halloween coming up it’s the perfect time to refresh on some safety tips. There are many campus resources for students to self-educate and seek support, including Campus Advocates for Prevention Education (CAPE), which is part of the Office of Student Affairs. CAPE is a group of students advocating awareness surrounding mental health, sexual violence and substance misuse. This month, CAPE has been sharing resources for students during the busy Fall semester, and what is referred to as the “red zone.” This period spans during the first half of the Fall semester through Thanksgiving break, and is when, “more than 50% of all college sexual assaults are statistically found to occur.” Some of the reasons for this are the return to campus and back to school parties, limited knowledge of sexual violence and consent, and Greek life rushing.
CAPE engages with the campus community through presentations for classes, student organizations and clubs, tabling at O’Leary and at UCrossing for an event called Free on 3. Free on 3 is a monthly event sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Affairs. This is a great opportunity for students to learn more about campus resources, especially those offered at UCrossing, but it is also a space for games, trivia and therapy dogs. At the most recent Free on 3 on Oct. 8, CAPE provided resources for learning about the red zone, consent, and alcohol safety.
Eva Reyes, a senior sociology and Spanish student, is a member of CAPE who first encountered CAPE through their Instagram in the fall of her junior year. She explains that after seeing a job post on CAPE’s Instagram, she wanted to give back to the group that had supported her and give back to the community on campus. Reyes describes her role on CAPE as a point of referral for students struggling with mental health, sexual violence, and substance misuse. As a member of CAPE, she strives to support students in taking their first steps in seeking support.
Reyes continued saying that one way CAPE promotes safety during the Fall season is by sharing resources and raising awareness at their Free on 3 tabling events, including safety tips, drink covers and sexual violence trivia, and CAPEs are well prepared through extensive training. Their beginning of the year training covers consent, sexual violence, bystander intervention, and in-depth alcohol and addiction training from Riverbend, a Lowell non-profit offering recovery services. Another large component of CAPE training is designated to mental health, including how to recognize and address sensitive situations.
Reyes emphasized the importance of educating students on these topics around Halloween specifically because students are, “having a lot of fun, but because they’re more focused on having fun they’re not necessarily the safest. As a group we don’t promote drinking or substance use, but if students are going to do it, we want them to be the safest they possibly can be.”
Eva’s Horror Movie Tips for a safe Halloween and Fall semester:
- Always stay with a buddy to make sure someone knows where you are.
- Don’t accept drinks from someone you don’t know. Only accept drinks from a trusted source or ones you’ve opened yourself.
- Keep an eye on your drink and don’t set it down unattended.
- In an emergency, call an emergency line (which are on the back of UCards), or use Emergency phones, or blue light phones, around campus. The emergency phones contact the University’s Police emergency phone line.
- Help others around you when it’s safe and possible to do so. Don’t wait for someone else to step in.
- UMass Lowell has a Good Samaritan Policy which addresses student reluctance to seek assistance in substance related emergencies due to potential conduct consequences, according to UMass Lowell’s Student Conduct Code. Through this policy, safety of the university community is prioritized, and students are encouraged to seek help in emergencies.
For more information and upcoming events, visit CAPE’s Instagram @umlcape or their page on UMass Lowell’s website, under UMatter2. Through their website, students can contact specific CAPEs that they met during a presentation or seminar. CAPEs have come from varied backgrounds and academic programs, so anyone seeking their support should be able to find someone to connect with and relate with.
Any clubs or student organizations interested in collaborating on an event with CAPE should send a DM to their Instagram or email any of the CAPEs listed on the UMass Lowell website.
Student Resources:
Counseling Services: 978-934-6800
24/7 Crisis Clinician: 855-890-2879
Title IX: 978-934-2100
Confidential Reporter: 978-934-6800
Suicide Lifeline: 988
UML PD Emergency: 978-934-4911
UML PD (Non-Emergency): 978-934-2398
Don’t forget, there are also resources and hotlines on the back of the UCard!
