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After traveling more than 30,000 miles
together in an RV--including making it to all but four of the
continental United States--the No More RV Tour team learned some
invaluable lessons while taking a rape prevention program to
campuses nationwide.
For example, when you're living in an RV that has fickle plumbing,
always take a shower when you get the chance. Also, a March
blizzard is possible in New
Mexico. And most importantly, say the
four 2004 William and Mary graduates who went on the inaugural
tour, rape prevention is a cause worthy of enduring all that--and
more.
"I'm definitely surprised we reached so many schools and talked to
so many students--and that we actually got the tour off the ground
after so much planning," said John Mallory ('04) who joined three
fellow graduates, Nick Reiter, Will Carter and Matt Roosevelt on
the inaugural RV tour that reached more than 7,000 people and 41
colleges campuses across the country last year. "But I'm not
surprised by the reaction we got from the people who saw the
program because it's a cause worth supporting."
While organizers say the first year of the tour was an
unquestioned success--word of the inaugural tour made it into TV
newscasts and newspapers and across the country, including the
pages of O Magazine--they all agree the work is not
finished.
"The
most important goal for this year's RV tour is to visit as many
schools as possible to help end rape on our nation's college
campuses," said John Foubert ('90), an
assistant professor of education at William and Mary and founder of
No More Inc., the National
Organization of Men's Outreach for Rape Education. "There are
4,000 colleges in the United
States. We're never going to run out of
places to visit."
He added, "We are just getting started--with this year and our
long-term mission to work toward a day when there is no more rape,
and no more need for our organization."
The second year of the tour begins this week when four new
faces--including two 2005 William and Mary graduates--pull out of
campus Friday (Aug. 19) and head to their first stop at
Baldwin Wallace College in Ohio. Along for the ride will be a
producer from CBS Evening News, who is filming a story on the tour
to air Saturday on Labor Day weekend.
As word spreads, Foubert said,
interest in the program continues to grow. Foubert first developed "The Men's Program" in 1993
while working at the University
of Richmond. The program targets male
audiences and educates them on how to help a sexual assault
survivor. Today, No More Inc. supports 16 "One in Four" college
chapters in the United States
and Canada. The chapters get their name from national studies
that show one in four college women have survived rape or attempted
rape since their 14th birthday.
"The demand for our visits is definitely on the rise," Foubert said. "This time last year we only
had only one contract for a presentation. We now have 25 schools
already on our schedule and we are well on our way to reaching at
least 50 schools in the coming year."
Foubert said momentum built
up through the first year and the team presented the program at 41
schools, including the U.S. Naval Academy and U.S. Air Force
Academy. Last year's RV team traveled through all but North Dakota and
South Dakota,
Montana and
Wisconsin and making a
total of 124 presentations to audiences coast to coast.
"This year there six schools in North
Dakota alone that want us to visit,"
Foubert said.
Momentum is also building behind the concept of the program,
which, Foubert says, appeals to men as
potential helpers and not potential rapists. With that approach, he
said, the audience is less likely to tune out the message.
"When I first saw the program, I was floored," said Matt Thompson
('05), who is part of this year's tour team that also includes
Chris Renjilian ('05), as well as
University of Virginia graduate Dan McCool and James Madison University graduate Grant
Schafer. A government major, Thompson was involved in many
activities on campus as a student, but says joining "One in Four"
made the biggest impact on his life.
"Once I got involved, it immediately became the thing I was most
passionate about," Thompson said. "I think the program really
allows guys to learn from each other."
As plans for the RV Tour continue to grow, Foubert will spend the next two years extensively
studying the impact of The Men's Program. This summer, the U.S.
Department of Education awarded him a $275,000 grant that will be
used to improve the current rape prevention program, as well as
evaluate its effectiveness over a two-year period and share those
results with the public.
"We are hopeful that this study will be the first to show a
decline in sexually coercive behavior among men over the long
term," Foubert said.
The non-profit organization is also busy raising private donations
to pay for the second RV tour and to secure a permanent endowment
to expand its reach. While colleges they visit pay modest fees, the
majority of the tour is paid through gifts from individuals last
year about 100 donors contributed about $100,000, including a
$50,000 gift from long-time supporter and William and Mary Board of
Visitor Member Suzann Matthews. Foubert
said they need to raise about $75,000 to break even this year.
"Our hope is that at some point we can find a donor who will help
us set up an endowment to not only cover
our expenses, but to help us expand the tour," Foubert said. "In a couple years, we hope to have
two RVs on the road."
Meanwhile, recognition for the inaugural team continues. Mallory
and the three other 2004-05 team members will travel to
New York City this
fall when Cosmo Girl magazine will present them with their annual
"Born to Lead" award. It will be the first time the honor has been
given to men.
"This last year definitely made me aware of how much of an impact
I can make," said Mallory, adding he's a little surprised by all of
the attention.
"We're just normal guys who had this great
opportunity."
