by Elise Goitia '18

Sexual assault is not about sex. It is about the violence in a predatory act. This was one of the messages Jan Russell hoped to convey to students, faculty, and staff when she visited Knox.

Russell is an attorney with the Cook County Sheriff's Office, where she works on policy and training issues related to domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking, among other issues. She is actively involved in local and statewide efforts to improve the response to survivors of sexual assault and has presented training to more than 30,000 professionals, including police officers, lawyers, advocates, and social service providers. She has recently been working with colleges and universities and offering training on how to appropriately handle claims of sexual assault.

Russell spent three days at Knox, where she led workshops for students, faculty, and staff on the dynamics of sexual assault and the role the Knox community can play in promoting a culture of respect on campus.

"I feel that this is a very important topic and it's often misunderstood or devalued," said Sofia Tagkaloglou '18. "It was great to get a professional to speak on these matters."

Russell discussed subjects such as the myths of sexual assault, alcohol and drug-facilitated sexual abuse, and the effect trauma has on the survivor's memory. She also analyzed delayed response after an assault, rape culture for male and female victims, and the rights survivors have under the Sexual Assault Survivors' Emergency Treatment Act.

"I found it really fitting that she focused on sexual assault issues relating to both men and women," Tagkaloglou added. "It was a very inclusive conversation."

Ned Babbott '16 has worked as a consent and communication workshop leader in the past. He hoped to learn new information that he could take back to his fraternity chapter on the topic of consent and sexual assault.

"The session presented a tremendous amount of new information," he commented. "It answered many questions about circumstances involving serial perpetrators and how their mindsets are related to rape culture. It made me realize that culture plays a bigger role in deciding how assault reports are handled."

Brandon Perez '18 came to the workshop wanting to learn how to prevent sexual assault by not being a bystander. "I want to do all that's in my power to ensure the safety of my peers on campus," he added.