Bash Initiates Date Rape Reform

Undergraduate Council vice-presidential candidate John F. Bash '03 unveiled his campaign's "Date Rape Policy Reform Initiative" yesterday.

"This is by far the most important issue of this campaign," Bash said.

He advocated the creation of a Violent Offenses Board that would deal strictly with administrative cases arising from violent crime including rape cases. He also asked that the Administrative Board release rape statistics and the outcome of rape cases that come before the board.

Bash also stressed the date rape reform platform plank at last night's candidate debate (please see related story, page 3).

Bash and his running mate Matthew Zanotelli '02 are running using the motto, "More money. More food. More sex." They have said repeatedly that "More sex" refers to a week of sexual issues awareness events. To publicize their campaign, Bash and Zanotelli handed out over 320 condoms with their campaign stickers on them last Friday.

Bash and Zanotelli's decision to dovetail the "More sex" theme with date rape prevention proposals has drawn fire from sexual awareness groups on campus.

Members of the Coalition Against Sexual Violence (CASV) protested that Bash's proposal, coming on the heels of the campaign's "More sex" day last Friday did the opposite of Bash's intention and trivialized the issue of date rape.

"I know a lot of coalition members were really upset. It seems to be diminishing the importance of date rape to be equating it with something called 'Sex week,'" said CASV co-chair Jennifer C. Price '03.

Both Paul A. Gusmorino '02 and Stephen N. Smith '02 yesterday stressed their own strong records on date rape prevention. Both are active members of CASV, according to Price. Both attend the majority of the group's meetings, Price said.

Gusmorino started the council's initiative on sexual violence and Smith is also an active member of Peer Relations and Date Rape Relations (PRDRE).