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September 1, 2025
By: Meghan Boudreau , I Have The Right To Intern
Picture this: You are moving into your first week as an undergraduate student. You are buzzing with excitement (or maybe that’s just the three cups of coffee you drank trying to stay awake) as you and your fellow first years begin to enter a new and foreign time of life. You tearfully say goodbye to your friends and family who traveled with you for this momentous transitional period and you are left to the whim of your RA’s and the orientation week itinerary.
The week is jam packed with information such as the best local businesses, professors, networking connections and so much more. Oh and of course, most importantly the safety seminar that gives you the same old spiel you’ve been hearing since kindergarten: don’t take food (or drinks) from strangers, don’t let people into your home without you knowing them, don’t go into unlit parts of campus etc. All that information goes to the wayside as your best friend tells you to join for the welcome party that one of the sororities is hosting!
What you likely do not realize is you are caught up in one of the most vulnerable times for college students: The Red Zone. This period of time falls between college move-in and Thanksgiving break where more than 50% of sexual assaults occur on college campuses. First year women affiliated in greek life are shown to be 74% more likely to be assaulted than non-sorority affiliated women (Promoting Awareness | Victim Empowerment, 2024). There are a number of reasons attributed to such a high volume of assault. First semester is a time of transition and students can face a number of social pressures from friends, family, and even the media to “fit in” by participating in actions that can lead to assault. Parties and alcohol consumption are prominent factors that increase the likelihood of assault (PAVE, 2024).
The realities of this time period can be detrimental to students attempting to start this new chapter. Assault and harassment can come in many different forms, each one of them traumatizing the victims. Sometimes, schools attempt to provide resources for students to minimize the cases of assault during this time. Too often, schools will dance around the topic of consent and vigilance within the orientation week in a quite literal sense. My school, like many others, put on a mandatory-to-see play that explained the importance of consent using dance sequences and short skits. The outcome was an odd dichotomy among the students: those of us who found an odd solidarity in the bathroom in attempts to compose ourselves through tears and flashbacks, and others who for one reason or another were ready to leave to start the college experience. I am not saying that these conversations should not happen at the beginning of the semester. I simply wish to offer suggestions that would make the dialogue more meaningful in hopes to minimize likelihood of assaults throughout the school year. The reality we must face is that those who should be listening to these dialogues are often the ones who find a way to skip or let their mind wander. With this in mind, the effectiveness of these suggestions will only be successful for those who have the willingness to observe them.
Students who are interested in learning more about how to become an upstanding leader at their school may benefit from working with I Have the Right To in integrating what we call “The Aspire Club” onto their campus. This is a collaborative space where students can learn skills like how to be a peer advocate, learn about the importance of topics such as consent, and understand the importance of sustained dialogues. These clubs are integrated in students’ campus community and encourage its members and the whole student body to make a lasting impact on their campus. This is done through receiving materials, ideas, and support from the I Have the Right To Team in ways that are found to best meet the goals of a school’s own Aspire Club. Additionally, students can apply the suggestions made in this article to build a line of defense during The Red Zone.
SUGGESTION 1: GET STUDENTS INVOLVED
As I’ve previously mentioned, that first week of undergrad is already a hectic time full of information thrown at students who just want to find their way in the campus community. What better way to fulfill the desire of fellowship then to participate in an activity that amplifies a sense of belonging?
During move-in, students are placed into Orientation Groups. To support these groups, I Have the Right To provides an Aspire Club guide filled with crafts and activities that Orientation Leaders can use to spark community involvement and fellowship among their group.For example, one activity could be to create a pledge flag or banner where students can paint their hands and sign it, pledging that they are committed to being “upstanding” community members and put an end to assault and harassment. Once complete, the banner can be displayed in dorms or the campus center as a visible reminder of that shared commitment. By helping students spend this time doing tactile tasks, there can be an increased sense of responsibility and shared purpose, minimizing the likelihood of assault.
SUGGESTION 2: MAKE RESOURCES READILY AVAILABLE
Some students do not have quick access to or a proficient understanding of the services that are available on campus. Departments such as Title IX are there for student use to gain protection and understand topics such as safe sex and consent. Some schools also have advocacy groups on campus that allow students to convene in the context of sexual assault advocacy. Not only do these resources need to be readily available, students need to be made aware of their existence and know that they are safe places to go to for growth in understanding and as a source of protection if need be.
Additionally, to make these resources effective, awareness must go hand in hand with accessibility. Simply having services on campus is not enough, students need to see them as approachable, trustworthy, and free of stigma. Orientation week, campus events, and classroom touchpoints can all serve as opportunities to introduce these departments and advocacy groups in a way that feels welcoming rather than intimidating.
When schools take the extra step to normalize conversations around Title IX, consent, and survivor support, they signal to students that seeking help is not only acceptable but encouraged. Building this culture of openness ensures that students do not feel isolated when challenges arise. Instead, they know exactly where to turn for both protection and education, creating a safer and more empowered campus environment for everyone. When institutions consistently highlight these resources in ways that feel welcoming and stigma-free, they send a clear message: seeking help is encouraged, supported, and part of building a healthy community.
SUGGESTION 3: SERIOUS CONEQUENCES FOR SERIOUS ACTIONS
The way students can trust the resources provided on campus is if they are reassured that actions will be taken in order to support survivors. On the same side of that coin, perpetrators need to understand that there will be serious consequences to any kind of harm to a fellow student. If you knew you could go take something and there were no repercussions, the chances of you taking that thing will likely increase (be honest with yourself…).
A reality is, some students enter the college sphere having never or rarely been told “no”. If even after all the community building and resource allocation, someone still does not understand the effects of assaulting someone, the best next step is to show perpetrators what the consequences of their actions would be. This kind of response also builds trust for survivors. Knowing that their voices will be heard and their experiences taken seriously reassures them that they are not alone, and that justice is possible. But accountability alone is not the end goal.
There must be equal if not higher levels of preventative practices put in place such as cameras, well-lit campus communities, hotlines for students to call, the blue light system. When paired with education on consent, healthy relationships, and bystander intervention, these efforts send a clear message: the campus community values safety, respect, and support for all its members.
The beginning of the undergraduate journey is meant to be a beautiful point of transition and growth in both an academic and social sense. Students, as you get ready to go into the beginning of your college journey remember that you have the right to an education free from assault or fear. Use your resources, build a firm foundation of community, and use this time to figure out who you are. Administration, protect the youth, seek justice always and know that there is a generation of young learners who depend on you to protect them in this new environment. My hope is that with these action steps and a strong sense of community, there may be a day we no longer have to consider the first semester of college “The Red Zone”.
Sources:
Me Too (n.d.). The Red Zone: Sexual Violence on College Campuses. https://metoomvmt.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/1.5.11_The-Red-Zone-Sexual-Violence-on-College-Campuses_INFOSHEET_V2.pdf
Promoting Awareness | Victim Empowerment (PAVE). (2024). Shattering the Red Zone.