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Introducing . . . the Real Men of Lafayette!
Now in its fourth year, the Real Men of Lafayette program, conducted by a student organization called the Coalition for Relationship and Rape Education (CORRE), is one of several student-led initiatives at Lafayette that involve education about and speaking out against sexual assault and harassment. A centerpiece of the program is a poster with the photos and names of the “Real Men” that is being posted all over campus. It’s a visible symbol of these students’ commitment — and that of others in the Lafayette campus community — to play a high-profile leadership role in battling date rape and other forms of sexual assault.
The Real Men for 2000 are:
David Campos ’01, Rochester, N.Y. (mechanical engineering major)
Jacobi Cunningham ’03, Mattapan, Mass. (biology)
John D’Amelio ’01, Cherry Hill, N.J. (computer science)
John McLaughlin ’01, Stockholm, N.J. (computer science)
Heron Mochny ’01, New Delhi, India (civil engineering)
John Reap ’00, Shavertown, Pa. (mechanical engineering)
David Saulter ’01, Coudersport, Pa. (geology)
Sumit Verma ’01, Nairobi, Kenya (chemical engineering)
Mark Comanducci ’01 of Colts Neck, N.J., one of CORRE’s four “co-presidents,” spearheaded this year’s Real Men initiative. He says the organization has adopted a new mission statement: “confronting sexual violence by increasing awareness and supporting survivors.”
“We also created a new agenda for the Real Men, giving them a more proactive presence on campus,” he adds. “They will be having brown bag talks and discussions with men and women about these issues in dialogue form, trying to raise people’s consciousness. They will not just be ‘poster boys’ anymore – they will be active in the Lafayette community.”
CORRE’s other co-presidents are Kim Chung ’00 of Alexandria, Va.; Justin Kidwell ’00 of Baltimore, Md.; and Jean Marie Ruddy ’01 of Dunmore, Pa.
The selection committee that chose the Real Men included Landon Adams ’02 of Columbus, Ohio; Kate Cimino ’02 of Midland Park, N.J.; Tiffany Denithorne ’01 of Willow Grove, Pa.; Brent Hierman ’00 of Harvard, Mass.; Karen Kainer ’00 of Pennington, N.J.; and Mark Palmieri ’02 of Southington, Conn.
Cimino says, “When choosing the Real Men from all those who applied, the selection committee wanted students who showed exceptional interest in being outspoken figures against sexual assault crimes, and therefore, would be willing to participate in a variety of programs or workshops developed for the Real Men.
“It is important for the student body to know who the Real Men are, their purpose, and what kinds of positive behaviors they condone and the negative acts that they denounce,” Cimino continues. “The Real Men of this year’s poster must serve as outspoken models of respect and responsible behavior.”
D’Amelio says being one of the Real Men is about setting an example and taking responsibility for communicating his views about rape and sexual assault.
“I hope that I get feedback from other people on campus, no matter what form it comes in,” he says. “Whether people agree with me or challenge me, the thing I get out of this is being able to bounce ideas off different people, and hopefully encountering different views so I can talk about them and broaden my horizons.”
The sponsors of the Real Men poster, in addition to CORRE, are the Association for Lafayette Women, Delta Gamma Sorority, and Student Government.