Students Together Against Acquaintance Rape seeks to handle concerns about sexual assault while raising campus awareness of the issue.
"We're really interested in the causes and solution of sexual violence because we feel this is linked to gender inequality,"College junior and STAAR Executive Board member Swati Guild said.
She cited statistics that around 80 percent of sexual assaults are committed by an acquaintance -- as opposed to a stranger -- hence the group's name.
Though it only has four active members, STAAR is working on a possible event in reaction to the alleged assault this past Friday. They have not made any official plans yet.
Guild said one of the major misconceptions about her group is that all STAAR members have been affected by a sexual assault. The club invites anyone interested in the issue to join.
No one has reported an assault in the two years Guild has been involved with STAAR, so the organization has instead concentrated on awareness efforts -- such as workshops for fraternities and sororities.
The club would like to help victims and their friends to cope with traumatic incidents.
During club-sponsored events group members stress the idea of mutual consent and the importance of communicating during a sexual interaction -- which group members said is often impossible when one or both individuals are under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
While "hooking up" is a vague concept, "communication ... helps prevent someone from being a victim or an unknowing perpetrator," Guild said.
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