One in Four RV Tour visits Sheppard Air Force Base

Hello, everyone!

We just wrapped up one of the biggest stops of the entire tour -- a string of presentations at Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas.

We got up bright and early around 6 A.M. to prepare for the three presentations we were to give that morning, to audiences of 800, 800, and 600 airmen respectively. We love having the opportunity to reach out to so many people at once -- and being a military stop, it was particularly mesmerizing to stand up on stage and look out at so many people sitting at attention in uniform (we’ve uploaded some pictures that were taken during the presentations, in case you’d like to see for yourself!).

We were happy to see that our presentations were well received, and after each one was over airmen would approach us to shake our hands and to ask us additional questions. After one presentation a few airmen came to us and told us about how they had realized from seeing the Men’s Program that they had responded to survivors in their lives in ways that were harmful to them. We were able to offer them advice as to how they could patch things up with these loved ones, and offer themselves as helpers again. It’s moments like these that make us feel satisfied about the work we’re doing, and help us see the change we’re making on this tour.

We’re about to start on our final leg of the tour, which will take us north to Illinois Institute of Technology, to a Native American reservation in Wisconsin, and then finally out east to Fort Drum in New York. We’ve been enjoying ourselves on the RV, and we’re sad to see that the tour is coming to an end so soon -- but we’ll be happy to pass on the torch to next years guys (congratulations, Tour 5!) when the time comes.

As our trip comes to a close, the four of us -- J.T., Jor-El, James, and Dan -- wish to send a very special thank you to everyone who has supported One in Four and the RV tour. We couldn’t do what we do without your help, and you are just as much a part of the solution to end rape as we are. Thank you.

One in Four RV Tour heads to Oregon, Washington

Hello from the road!

The RV tour just left Washington state, and we’re now driving south on Interstate 5 on the way to sunny Orange County in California.  We’ve had quite an experience on this trip out west, driving through places and areas of the country that none of us have ever seen before.  We drove through Kansas, which was so flat and empty that we could literally see landmarks that were miles away; through the beautiful rocky mountains of Colorado and Utah, and into the deserts of Nevada.  We then turned north, heading through Northern California and into Oregon, and then finally into Washington.  These drives have been some of the most beautiful so far, and it will likely be a long time before we forget the beautiful landscapes we’ve seen while looking out our windows.

We’ve stopped at two universities so far on this leg of our tour: Linfield College in Oregon, and Washington State University in Vancouver.  Both were interesting stops for us.  At Linfield we presented to large audiences of male and female students, and had the opportunity to speak with an assembled group of staff and faculty who were actively working to make Linfield as safe a community as possible.  They had taken some impressive strides in their work, and it was fascinating to hear what this small school had done - from having lengthy group discussions to intricately crafting their student code of conduct - to foster an environment of close community and get their students thinking about what it means to be part of a respectful community.

After we left Linfield we had a few days off, so we headed into Portland and checked it out.  It was definitely one of the most interesting cities we’ve encountered so far on the tour: in particular, the “people watching” was fantastic.  People in this area seem to do their own thing, without regard for what others think - and so walking through Portland we saw more widespread tattoos, piercings, dyed hair and eclectic fashion sense than pretty much anywhere else we’d been.  We also had the opportunity to stop by Powell’s, a sprawling bookstore that takes up 3 city blocks and refers to itself as the “city of books” (this was a personal favorite of Dan’s, who loves bookstores and splurged more here than at any other place in the tour), and Voodoo Donuts, which offers some highly original donut offerings (anyone up for a maple sugar donut with real slices of bacon on top?).

We left Portland and headed to Washington State, were we presented to classes of students and community members.  One of our Women’s Program presentations led into a fascinating dialogue centered around how we can work on a societal level to prevent sexual violence, and it was inspiring when our audience members openly shared their perspective on this.  Our last presentation brought us another special treat: our contact person had ordered pizzas to entice students to come, and there were a few pizzas left over after the presentation that somebody had to eat.  We were, of course, happy to help!

Stay tuned for our next post, in which we’ll write about our upcoming stops at Chapman University in Orange County, California, as well as our trip to California State University - Bakersfield!

Stay tuned for new posts!

Hello, everyone!

It has been a whirlwind of a year.  Since we last posted we've achieved some major accomplishments: we presented to over 1,000 of our nation's future military commanders at the West Point Military Academy, we visited our first high school of the year, paving the way for One in Four to reach out to high school audiences, and we've traveled all throughout the eastern half of the United States, driving through every state except Maine, Vermont, and Rhode Island.

Now we're about to embark on the most adventurous leg of our journey yet: we're taking the tour out to the west coast, stopping at schools in California, Oregon, and Washington.  We'll be out there continuously touring for over a month.

Stay tuned as this month progresses, as we'll be posting about our journey here.  Also make sure to check the picture section, as that will be updated too!

Thank you all for your support, and we look forward to sharing our journey with you.

The RV tour team

Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: October 21st – November 2nd

“Ah, sunny Florida.”  That was the feeling we had as we stepped off the RV and into 75-degree sunshine.  Coming off a few extended trips through Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, we were thankful we were able to enjoy such a rejuvenating temperature change.  Plus, there was no better venue for us to recharge than the “2007 National Conference on Sexual Assault in Our Schools,” which is hosted annually by the Safe Society Zone.  Members of the One in Four chapter at William and Mary regularly come to this conference to present the Men’s Program, and so we were all delighted to see some familiar Williamsburg faces.  We were also excited to see what new things were happening in the field of violence prevention.  The conference is a unique blend of fun and inspiration, in which people working in this issue can come together to share experiences and learn from each other.

We presented One in Four’s new program, “The Women’s Program,” and were very enthusiastic by the feedback we received about it.  It was a packed session, and people with many different perspectives gave us written feedback; some even stayed late to speak with us afterwards.  We received many great ideas that we will incorporate into the program, if they haven’t been already.  A special thanks goes out to our friends from Catharsis Productions that took extra time to share their insights with us - - you all rock!

Following the final panel session, we said our goodbyes to the W&M One in Four chapter members and then made a beeline for the campus of Franklin and Marshall in Lancaster, PA.  Here we trained a group of about 20 students – which seemed to have been drawn from every corner of campus – to form the newest chapter of One in Four.  We worked hard over the two-day training, and we left with a very good feeling about these guys.  Not only were they the largest group we’ve trained this year, but they were also the most diverse: there were student athletes, fraternity members, international students, and numerous other campus organizations are represented in their chapter.  Best of all, each guys’ passion really showed.  We shared a lot of laughs, and we look forward to hearing good things from them soon.

After we left Franklin and Marshall, the RV was again quickly on the move, this time to Denison University in Granville, Ohio.  Here we worked with one of the first established Women’s Studies programs in the country, who had us speak with classes of students and give one presentation specifically to athletes.  It was especially fun to speak to the Women’s Studies classes because they were in the middle of covering topics such as “feminist activism” or “violence against women,” so they were able to ask us pointed questions about the content of our presentations.  The candid Q&A with the students in Prof. Toni King’s class was awesome (Thanks, Toni!).  Denison was also one of the most beautiful campuses we’ve seen yet; the combination of the hilly landscape and the Ohio fall foliage made for some breathtaking views.

From DU, we trekked way up north again to the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.  We gave several presentations that day, which was a Friday, and were surprised to see that our presentation room was packed with students before our 8 A.M. presentation started.  Even more surprising was that our 5 P.M. program also had a strong showing.  How Wisconsin was able to motivate students to attend anything at 5 P.M. on a Friday, we’ll never know; but when some of these students openly shared that they have been supporting survivors in their lives and wanted to learn more about how to help them, it made us energized to know that we were able make a difference for them.

Needless to say, we’ve been hitting the road pretty hard over the month of October and into the month of November.  Two cool milestones to consider: we’ve made 22 stops so far at universities, colleges, one military base, and one national conference.  We’ve also seen every state east of the Mississippi River save for Maine, Vermont, and Rhode Island.  Soon we’ll post the actual number of presentations we’ve given, and the number of people we’ve reached thus far.  Stay tuned for our next post about our day in the West Point Military Academy!

From Minnesota to - Texas??

Hello, everyone!  The RV Tour has - as always - been taking us through large stretches of the country, and we're excited to tell you all about it. 

After we left Lewis University in Illinois, the tour made its way up to University of Wisconsin-Madison.  Imagine our amazement as we drove on to campus and noticed that a great percentage of the population rode around on scooters! Yes, motorized scooters: not bikes or skateboards (as Jor-El was used to when he went to school in Wilmington, NC).  It seems that scooters are a hot commodity in Madison.  We all drooled over this lost opportunity in our undergraduate careers.

We met with our contact Ryan, who is a hall director in the amazing new residence hall at UW in which we presented.  The majority of our presentations took place in this building's lounge area, which turned out to be a huge room with about 150 chairs in the room (not to mention a few big screen TVs nestled in the back of the room).  After spending some time getting some tech issues under control, we presented to a group of faculty and staff, and then to some student leaders.  It was great for us to have very engaged audiences in both settings.  We also presented our new Women's Program to a great audience of female students, who seemed very impressed by the program’s basis in research.

Later in the evening, after a somewhat long day, we had one final presentation across campus for The Men's Program.  This session was specifically designed for male resident students.  We were a little shocked upon entering the room when we only noticed one guy sitting there waiting, but we were informed a few minutes later that another safety presentation was going on downstairs in the same building.  So even though we had a small audience (which we like, as it makes for a more engaging dialogue), we still gave the same effort that we would as if we were speaking to a room full of people. It was a great thing we did.  After the presentation, 6 of the guys in attendance - nearly the entire audience - spoke with us about starting a chapter at UW Madison. What a great way to end a day!  It is always amazing to see how many new men are stepping up to make a difference in this cause.

Our next stop was in Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota.  We had been brought to campus by the wonderful Kaaren, who works for the Gender and Sexuality Center. We were pretty amazed by the approach that the center takes.  Rather than just focusing on violence prevention, this office holistically incorporates all kinds of issues and topics relating to gender issues, including men's health, women's health, sexuality, sexual assault and violence prevention.  It was great to see a center that integrated all these topics!

Upon arriving on Saturday night, we had the opportunity to meet with our student contact, Leahruth, who was gracious enough to provide us with goodie bags (AWESOME!) and show us to our accommodations in their alumni house (which were incredibly comfortable).  Over the course of our time at Carleton we got to see a drag show on campus (definitely a new experience for us), present in a wonderful hall, and train a very intelligent group of young men -- who have now formed our newest One in Four chapter. Congratulations, guys!

After our lovely stint at Carleton (we miss you, Northfield!) we were set up to make what has been the most challenging drive of the trip so far.  After our late presentation at Carleton on Tuesday evening, we immediately had to start heading our way to Corpus Christi, Texas (where we were to present on Thursday).  After making some strategic rest and driving plans, we made the 27 hour trip and arrived in Corpus Christi safe and sound early Thursday morning.  

Not to let an opportunity go wasted, just before going to bed, JT and Dan decided to hop over to the beach (which was a short walk away from where the RV was parked) to dip their feet into the Gulf of Mexico. It was an exhilarating capstone to an incredible drive across the country -- it was just unfortunate that they didn’t see that the water was filled with tiny jellyfish until it was too late.

Luckily, our scheduled presentation at A&M was in the late afternoon, and when we arrived we were amazed to see the beautiful space we were presenting in.  This room was a performance hall, and was part of their Performing Arts Center. It was easily the most breathtaking place we’ve ever presented in, and we all commented on how we wish we could take the room with us wherever we went.

After our presentation at Corpus Christi, we were psyched to head to our next stop in Orlando, FL, where we would get the chance to meet up with Adam, our Executive Director, Dr. Foubert, One in Four's Founder and some of William and Mary’s One in Four chapter members at the Safe Society Zone conference.  We were all excited to spend a few days in a beautiful place and reconnect with some great friends.

RV Tour Visits Ohio, Ilinois

Hello, everyone!

As October comes to a close, we're coming near the end of one of the most packed months of scheduling in One in Four's history.  RV Tour 4 has been literally moving all over the country to make this month happen, and we've certainly been having our share of adventures! 

After University at Buffalo we headed to University of Dayton, where we spent a few days training a new chapter of One in Four and presenting to their Greek life.  Over two days at Dayton, we trained a great group of guys and also had a strong showing of support from female student activists.  Everyone came together to learn more about the issue and to help plan how the new chapter at Dayton was going to make a difference.  It was awesome to work with such excited students!

Yet, no trip would be complete without a little RV fun.  On the night before we left Dayton, our generator became a little fussy and it eventually stopped working.  Ordinarily, this wouldn't be too much of a problem, but we needed some serious electrical power to get the RV back into driving form and we didn't have any time to spare - - we needed to be in Romeoville, IL to present at Lewis University early the next morning.

After tinkering with it for a while, we decided it was going to take some creative problem solving and soon contacted the Dayton Police.  We tossed around all kinds of ideas, but in the end we ran about 50 feet of heavy-duty extension cords from a nearby building, and transformed Cassie from home back into car.  From here, we were able to drive through the night (with a stop in our favorite White Castle in Gary, Indiana), drop off the RV to be serviced, pick up a car from Dan's very generous parents, and make it to Lewis on schedule the following morning.  Surely, it was one for the record books. 

At Lewis we had great audiences for all of our presentations over the next two days.  We spoke to faculty/staff, first year students, male athletes, and we were able to present the Women's Program to nearly all of Lewis' female athletes.  Our contact Teresa took excellent care of us (offering us wonderful food, which we always appreciate) and Dr. Mellman, the director of the Lewis Counseling Center, continually thanked us for our efforts. 

It's needless to say that our schedule has been pressing and that keeping the pace has been a fun and challenging experience for all four of us.  But without a doubt we've been humbled and inspired by the people we've met at every step of the way.  Whether it's leaving a new chapter of men who are now excited to take a stand against sexual violence, or having a survivor approach us after a presentation, we know that there is no other job in the world that we'd rather be working. 

Check back for our next post, in which we discuss: a presentation at University of Wisconsin-Madison in which 6 men approached us afterward, adamant about forming their own One in Four chapter - and a drive that began in chilly Minnesota and ended with us dipping our feet into the Gulf of Mexico.  Stay tuned! 

One in Four Stops at University at Buffalo, New York

Hello friends of One in Four!

It's been a long time since we've posted a blog entry, but we hope that you'll forgive us: we've been very busy tackling a very busy fall schedule, and we've wanted to make sure that we can offer the schools we visit as much energy as they need from us. Now that we're a bit more comfortable with life on the road, though, we're going to make an effort to post on this blog much more regularly than we have so far - so be sure to check in often!

The RV Tour just finished up a two day stint at University at Buffalo in New York, and the people at the UB Wellness Center took incredible care of us - they put us up in a hotel and gave us food, as well as official University hats, T-shirts, USB drives, and miniature basketballs and footballs.  They even arranged for each of us to receive a short, between-presentations massage from Shelly, the University Wellness Center's resident massage therapist.  Also, on our second evening the folks at the Wellness Center treated us to the best pizza and wings you can get in Buffalo, for which Buffalo is well-known for.  We certainly didn't argue with this treatment - especially since it came on the heels of days of rough driving from Pennsylvania, out to Tennessee, and then back to New York!

To be fair, though, UB did have us present 5 times a day each day we were there - which we've grown very accustomed to - but the tender love and care UB offered us definitely made our time there very enjoyable.

We also received a lot of gratitude from several people who saw our presentations at UB.  The Chief of Police was at our first seminar, and afterward he offered to help us line up a presentation at the convention held for all police trainers within the state of New York. On our second day, after the director of Residence Halls at UB saw one of our presentations, she returned to her office and informed all of her res directors to drop what they were doing and attend the next afternoon session. 

It was absolutely humbling to be offered this kind of help from those with the power to make a huge difference at UB.  Hearing from them validated the difference that we're making on this journey - and it makes those 5-presentation days (as well as the free food and massages) especially worthwhile.

Right now we're on our way to Dayton, Ohio, and after that we'll be heading to Lewis University in Illinois.  We'll be sure to post again soon!