Members of Promoting Awareness Victim Empowerment (PAVE), Men Opposing Sexual Assault (MOSA) and Associated Students of Madison (ASM) held a forum on sexual violence and safety Wednesday as a part of UW-Madison Campus Safety Week.

The forum, consisting of four male and four female UW students, highlighted the influence gender roles have on sexual assault and rape, while offering personal anecdotes and potential social solutions to such issues.

Panel members said implications of gender roles manifest themselves everywhere from on the street as men open doors for women, to the classroom where women are generally hesitant to speak up, to sex.

“Overt heterosexuality is seen as normal in our society, from homophobic remarks all the way to bragging about sexual acts,” said Austin King, MOSA member.

Miscommunication between perpetrators and victims about sexual interests is a dominant issue leading to the vast number of rapes on college campuses.

According to a 1995 survey cited at the forum, one in three women is victim to sexual assault in her lifetime, while the greatest percentage of rapes happen to females ages 16-24.

Angela Bartucci, founder of PAVE, and the forum members agreed there is a need to educate both men and women on sexual violence. “It is important to tackle any issue concerning sexual violence because it is a silent issue on campus,” said Bartucci.

While the panel focused on female victims, male panel members emphasized the efforts that can be made to educate men on the actual definition of rape as well as its potential detriments.

Todd Kooperman, MOSA member, feels there is a serious problem with the expectations of males in our society. “We need to redefine masculinity,” said Kooperman. “It is about resocializing men.”

As Bartucci mentioned at the close of the forum, discussions about sexual violence are only the beginning of changing this greater social problem.

There is not only miscommunication about the issues, but also problems with the existing communication. While knowing how to say “no” is important, there needs to be dialogue between individuals where questions are asked and desires are indicated.

Unfortunately, because such social skills are frequently impaired by alcohol use, the panel said UW students and college students in general need to embrace a number of social issues before sexual assault can even envision a solution.