The Sexual Assault Task Force will discuss Thursday its goals, forthcoming projects and future activities.

Items on the agenda include a presentation of the task force’s purpose and goals, a discussion of suggested activities for Sexual Assault Awareness Week and information about the planned production of a videotape detailing the problem of sexual assault at NIU.

Task force member Julie Stege said, “The Sexual Assault Task Force is primarily concerned with education, information and programming.”

Martha Ruel, task force chairwoman and assistant judicial officer, defined sexual assault as “unwanted penetration of a body cavity.” Sexual abuse is unwanted touching or unwanted sexual contact or advances, she said.

Stege, who also is the Student Association welfare adviser, said Thursday’s meeting will include a discussion of future goals of the task force.

The initial focus of the task force was to assist the victim, said Lynn Richards, Student Legal Assistance attorney and task force member. Victims of sexual assault often do not report the incident and do not seek help, she said.

One of the task force’s first goals was to organize the Sexual Assault Response Team, which was designed to help victims of sexual assault, Richards said.

SART combines the resources of the Counseling and Student Development Center, the Health Service, the Judicial Office and the University Police.

Another goal of the task force is to educate people about sexual assault, Richards said.

“The task force educated the University Police (about sexual assault), so victims would not feel further victimized by telling their stories one more time,” Richards said.

The task force meeting also will include a discussion about possible activities for Sexual Assault Awareness Week.

Information about the planned production of a videotape about sexual assault also will be presented at Thursday’s meeting.

“We have videos in our banks that address the idea of sexual assault, but none of them address this campus,” Stege said.

“Because it’s such a sensitive issue, it’s hard to get victims to step forward. We don’t require people who give their accounts (for the production of a videotape) to be identified,” Stege said.

The videotapes will be used to help others who were victimized by sexual assaults, Stege said.