Several local colleges are stepping up their efforts to stop sexual assault and dangerous behavior during the “Red Zone,’’ the time between Labor Day and Thanksgiving during which students are most vulnerable to sexual assault, alcohol poisoning, and accidental injury, The Boston Globe reports.

Reaching out to students, especially first-year students particularly prone to danger during this time, is critical for their safety. First-year students are often living away from home for the first time, may be drinking or using drugs for the first time, and probably don’t have a close support system developed this early in the year.


The Globe reports:

“They might take risks,’’ said Becky Lockwood, associate director of the Center for Women and Community at University of Massachusetts Amherst. “It’s a normal part of development where a young person takes risks when they’re in a new environment.’’

But when combined with the unique factors facing first-year students, this natural impulse can be deadly: At least eight first-year students have died so far this fall at colleges nationwide. And with rampant campus sexual assaults gaining attention in the media, colleges are facing pressure to curb dangerous behavior.

The Globe cites programs at colleges and universities across the Commonwealth that advise students on a range of topics that include sexual assault prevention (through, for example, bystander intervention and physical self defense), drug and alcohol use, and relationships. Most colleges recommend that parents discuss these issues with their children long before classes start, however.

For the full Boston Globe article, click here.