Mark GarlitTwenty percent of college women and 10 percent of college men are raped each year. The college held an interactive date rape seminar intended to inform students of the dangers and consequences of the issue.
Jeff Kaplan, who has a doctorate in psychology, spoke of potentially risky situations that college students face on a regular basis and how to prevent them from becoming detrimental. Kaplan said that rape is a large problem in society because many are not aware of its stipulations; therefore people tend to underestimate inappropriate situations, creating acceptance of actions that, in reality, are violations to the individual. “84 percent of men who commit rape said that what they did wasn’t rape,” Kaplan said.
Kaplan, who graduated from the University of Maryland, has been counseling since 1997. Preceding his undergraduate studies, Kaplan received a master’s degree in counseling from Boston College as well as a master’s in education from Temple University.
The seminar, which took place on Tuesday, Feb. 10, also discussed the common myth and facts of rape along with the cognitive repercussions that victims face afterwards. In addition to this, Kaplan talked about the major influence that alcohol has in sexual assault incidents, advising students to take precaution if they choose to drink.
Suzanne Mallaghan-Rasco, the psychologist and director of the counseling center at Cabrini, arranged to have Kaplan’s date rape seminar because of the topic’s relevance to young adults. “We tried to get speakers that are pertinent to the students,” Mallaghan-Rasco said.
Posted to the Web by: Mark Garlit
