Becca Brown, the Party.0 leader at our St.Norbert chapter, was invited to speak about Party.0 at the Title IX Conference at Concordia University. She focused on how her sober parties create a positive environment to help reduce sexual assault on campus.
If you’re wondering, “What is Title IX?” Title 9 (Nine) is a federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any educational program or activity that receives federal funding. Most of the advocacy work around Title Nine is focused on eliminating rape on college campus. Rape is prominent on universities and colleges across the nation and it’s reported that 20% of women will be sexually assaulted during their 4 years at a university.
Preventing sexual assault is a big reason why Party.0 exists. Every year more than 97,000 students become victims of date rape. More than half of these cases involve alcohol and it assists the perpetrator in successfully assaulting their victim.
But getting drunk and “hooking up” (even if it’s rape) seems to be part of the college experience and culture. So changing it will have to involve the entire culture.
Being invited to speak at a conference like this shows that Party.0 can be a valuable asset in the fight against rape and rape culture that exists today. We are proud to partner with schools, universities and college campuses to improve the climate so all students can feel safe.
Having sober parties is not only able to take students out of dangerous situations, it helps shatter this idea that students need to drink and hook up in college. It influences young people on a personal and societal level.
Thank you to Concordia University for inviting us, and Becca Brown, for being the strong advocate for equal rights that she is.
