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David King isn't exactly thrilled with his distinction on Baldwin-Wallace College's (BW, Berea, OH) campus. "[Freshmen] will shout, 'Hey, you're the rapist,'" he says, adding that he jokes with them not to shout that too loudly.

The reason for David's infamy, however, is no laughing matter. As part of BW's Mere Images peer theater group, David portrays a waiter who continues to fill a woman's glass with water after she asks him to stop. If you haven't already picked up on it, the skit -- innocently titled "Water Pitcher" -- serves as a metaphor for  

college rape

 .

Comprised solely of BW RAs, Mere Images performs skits to incoming freshmen in order to help them better handle social issues (like college rape, sexual harassment, racism, and roommate conflicts) they may face at college. The group's performances can be intense, and sometimes even comical. David equates the skits to episodes of Jerry Springer, because after a sketch is performed, characters sit for a question and answer period with the audience. "It's a really wonderful way to tell students the real things that happen at college," he says.

Schezelle Ward, a criminal justice Major at BW and performer for Mere Images, says the skits can be enlightening for often-sheltered freshmen. "Students get a lot out of [the skit], and it's an effective way to get a message across -- especially a message so important," she says. David believes the performances are also beneficial because they allow new students to relate to their RAs. "Its really interesting how the audience reacts and what they react to," he says. "Personal feelings do come into it."

In addition, Mere Images has further strengthened David and Schezelle's abilities as RAs. Schezelle remembers when a skit came to life after a student approached her for advice with an eating disorder. "Keeping what I learned [through Mere Images] in mind, I was able to help," she says.

In fact, Schezelle believes the program is so effective, it should be implemented at other Colleges and Universities, too. "I can relate through my experience of being an RA and just by being a friend," she says. "Anybody can relate to these issues because we're all college students."


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Jennifer Merritt is a frequent contributor to The CollegeBound Network. Learn more about finding a school that's right for you.

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