August 20, 1997 Contact: Jennifer McNulty (408) 459-2495; mcnulty@ua.ucsc.edu

UC SANTA CRUZ SHARES EXPERTISE WITH LOCAL SCHOOLS

Flirting or hurting? UCSC's sexual harassment officer takes her interactive workshop on the road

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SANTA CRUZ, CA--At the invitation of local principals, UCSC's Title IX/Sexual Harassment Officer, Rita E. Walker, will spend the next several weeks presenting workshops on sexual harassment at junior high and middle schools in Santa Cruz County. (See detailed schedule information on next page.)

Walker will be assisted by three undergraduate peer educators: Oakes College student Faye Flores and Porter College students Maria Hollowell-Fuentes and Sabin Ousey. This project is part of a countywide effort to make schools more safe for all students.

"Research shows that by the time students reach eighth grade, 65 percent of girls and 55 percent of boys have had at least one experience with sexual harassment," said Walker. "There is a real need to share this information with students at the middle school and junior high level."

Walker and her assistants will present a 50-minute interactive and theatrical workshop in individual classes at each school. Walker surveyed local school principals to identify the most prevalent types of unwelcome conduct and developed five skits that demonstrate those behaviors. The interactive skits deal with name- calling, unwanted touching, rumors, rating body parts, and coercion. The workshop will also include an interactive values clarification exercise. Each student will receive a brochure, available in English and Spanish, for future reference and to share with families.

Walker's presentations are a collaborative effort between the university and the schools. Funds to support the undergraduate assistants were provided by a grant for School Violence Reduction awarded by the California Department of Education to the Santa Cruz County Middle School Partnership, facilitated by the Santa Cruz County Office of Education. The workshops are cosponsored by the Monterey Bay Educational Consortium.

Rita Walker's school tour schedule is as follows:

Aug. 21-22: Aptos Jr. High 8 a.m.-3 p.m.

Aug. 28-29, and Sept. 2: Lakeview Middle School 8:15 a.m.-2:45 p.m.

Sept. 3-5: E. A. Hall Middle School 8:15 a.m.-2:45 p.m.

Sept. 8, 18-19: Scotts Valley Middle School 8:15 a.m.-2:40 p.m.

Sept. 10-12: Pajaro Middle School 9 a.m.-2:45 p.m.

Sept. 15-17: Shoreline Middle School 8:25 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

Sept. 22-24: New Brighton Middle School 8:15 a.m.-2:15 p.m.

Sept. 25-26: Branciforte Jr. High School 8 a.m.-2:40 p.m.

Sept. 29-30, and Oct. 2: Rolling Hills Middle School 8:15 a.m.-2:58 p.m.

Oct. 1, 3, and 8: Mission Hill Jr. High School 7:45 a.m.-1:45 p.m.

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