Two theatrical performances and group discussions addressing issues related to sexual assault will be presented in the Community Arts Auditorium at Wayne State University in April, which is designated as Sexual Assault Prevention Month.

The free performances of Hold Her Down, followed by discussion, will take place from 3-5 p.m. Tuesday, April 15, and 7-9 p.m. Thursday, April 24.

Associate Professor Beverly Black and Assistant Professor Arlene Weisz of the School of Social Work received a Presidential Affirmative Action Award to implement a peer education program for college students to address myths about sexual assault.

The program seeks to educate the community about sexual violence through the use of theater and the power of peer influence. Turning Point, a program that assists sexual assault survivors in Macomb County, developed the idea and format for the program. The organization is helping adapt the concept at WSU.

Students who completed a 30-hour training session on sexual assault and crisis intervention will serve as peer educators. The students -- non-theater majors-- will perform in the skits, which portray myths surrounding sexual assault.

Erroneous beliefs, such as the myth that some women really enjoy rape, contribute to the possibility of unwanted sexual advances, Weisz and Black say. It is this kind of myth the play addresses, as well as victim-blaming myths friends may display without even knowing it. Hold Her Down illustrates supportive responses.

Black and Weisz hope the knowledge gained from the project will assist in developing an ongoing sexual assault prevention program at Wayne State and other universities. Educational communities have implemented various forms of sexual assault prevention programs at least since the 1980s, but few have been evaluated rigorously, the professors say.

Weisz and Black say female college students are at high risk of sexual assault: Surveys suggest about 45 percent of them experience sexual coercion while dating, more than 80 percent who were raped knew the attacker, and more than half of the rapes occurred on dates.

Very few college women report acquaintance rape to campus administrators, police or counseling services, the professors assert. Victims, who often feel isolated and are unaware of help that is available, often drop out of school or transfer to another institution, Black and Weisz say.