M.V.P. Members
Members: Adam Rittel, Tyler Baillaegeon, Matt Zajack, Matt Swanson, Matt Speerstra, Chad Cartier, Elliot Kroll,
Goals for M.V.P.
- Educate male peers on the importance of healthy relationships.
- Model healthy attitudes and behaviors toward women, and encouraging the same behavior from other men on campus.
- Promote the norm of men taking responsibility for helping to end violence against women.
- Encourage men to intervene when they see someone has been or is about to be harmed.
- Help other men understand they are part of the solution to ending violence against women, and not just the source of the problem.
The M.V.P. is a group of men at Stout who are concerned about how women are treated and want to take action to prevent women from experiencing violence and abuse. Members of M.V.P. also want to learn respectful and appropriate ways to interact with women and share their knowledge with other men. Members are free to express their thoughts about the issue of violence against women.
What Members of M.V.P. Say...
"Getting a male group to address the problems that are mostly caused by males is a great way to solve the problem of violence toward women." Aaron Schmoldt
"I joined the M.V.P. because I had a good friend who was sexually assaulted, so I have seen first hand the affects of this type of violence. I want to do my part in stopping it from happening to someone else." Jeff DeFrancesca
"I had a good friend in high school who was sexually assaulted. Seeing what she went through gave me an understanding of what women go through everyday. M.V.P. is helping make changes and I want to be a part of that." B.J. Garczynski
What other Stout men think about violence against women. (Statistics are taken from a Campus Violence Survey completed by close to 600 Stout students in April 2005.)
* 81% of Stout's male students surveyed agreed that all forms of abuse are harmful and should be taken seriously.
* 79% of Stout's male students surveyed agreed that victims should not be blamed for sexual assault, even if the victims were under the influence of alcohol or other drugs.
* 96% of Stout's male students surveyed agreed that when somone asks a date back to their place, sexual activity should NOT be expected.
* 84% of Stout's male students surveyed agreed that sexual assault can occur if the victim does not resist or fight back.
* 78% of Stout's male students surveyed agreed that women do not ask to be raped by the way they act or dress.
* 29% of male and 35% of female Stout survey respondents reported to have experienced at least one incident of dating or domestic violence while enrolled at Stout.
* 29% of male and 39% of female Stout survey respondents reported to have experienced at least one incident of stalking while enrolled at Stout.
* 7% of male and 12% of female Stout survey respondents reported to have experienced an incident of sexual assault while enrolled at Stout.
** Please note that these incidence rates closely parallel other U.S. college campuses of similar enrollment size.
Articles of Interest:
Group Meeting times
The group meets on the 2nd Sunday of each month from 8:00pm-9:00pm in Cedarwood (Memorial Student Center). It is open to all men interested in violence prevention on the UW-Stout campus.
To become a member of M.V.P. please contact Jessica Bryan at 232-2468 or bryanje@uwstout.edu