Casting call tonight (March 7, 2017) from 5-9 p.m. in the Little Theatre at Manhattanville College

Hi Manhattanville Dance and Theater students! My name is Danny Kramer, I'm a Producer and Editor for Film and Television. And more importantly, I'm a Manhattanville Alumni! I studied Communications and Creative Writing from 2008 to 2012 as an Undergrad (and back then, people called me Danny Shaq, lol). But most importantly to you, I'm returning to Manhattanville this March to film a short feature for Peace Outside Campus, The Lindsey M. Bonistall Foundation. It's a video that will be used for teaching incoming high school students across the country about safety tips and guidelines for going to college. And I need some supporting actors! I figured, where better than Manhattanville itself to find those actors? It'll be a fantastic opportunity for any up and coming actors, both for the experience and a professional piece to add to your acting reel. The script is written by 2 time Emmy Award-winning Screenwriter, Ed Schultz. And our Director of Photography is 5 time Emny Award-winning Cinematographer, Sean Wilk. Also, you'll receive a $50 stipend and community service hours.

We have the full permission and support of the school to film on campus. Specifically, we plan to shoot March 18th at 8 AM, on the first floor of Brownson.

The video follows our protagonist (who is unseen, they're "behind the camera") as they meet sophmore Angelica who introduces them to college life and imparts some wisdom to them about living smart and safe on or off campus. While she's educating our protagonist, several students will give testimonials, to the camera, of different bad experiences they had on campus at this fictional college. The purpose of this is for our protagonist to learn from and avoid these situations in the future. You will be auditioning for these 4 testimonial-giving characters.

Be warned, as some of them have some harsh stories.

1. Bonnie, F, college student whose laptop computer was stolen. She angrily accused everyone around her of stealing it until she was told she left her dorm door open.

2. Laurence, M, college student who hung out late at a party. Walked alone back to his dorm where he was attacked and robbed.

3. Sam, M, will be underlit in scene. College student who wanted to party and make friends. However, he ends up getting raped.

4. Megan, F, college student who went back to the dorm of a boy she met at a party. He forced himself on her and she asked him to stop but he wouldn't. She blames herself but Angelica lets her and the audience know that it's not her fault and that no means no.

While their stories are tragic, their overall purpose in the narrative is to educate our protagonist (and the viewers) about how to avoid these tragedies or deal with them should they happen. You have to be authentic and find the truth and reality of these characters under these imaginary circumstances.

The harsh tone of these characters' stories is derived from not only true stories that I'm sure all of us have read or seen at one point or another in the news, but also from the very reason Peace Outside Campus was established in the first place. Founding members Kathleen and Mark Bonistall lost their college aged daughter Lindsey 12 years ago in a terrible murder in her off-campus housing unit. After such a terrible loss, the two of them founded Peace Outside Campus, the Lindsey M. Bonistall Foundation to spread awareness and safety guidelines, so that such a tragedy would never happen to anyone else.

Did you read all that? Are you still here? Thank you. This project is very important to me and to everyone involved in this feature, most especially to Kathleen and Mark Bonistall. If you feel as strongly as we do about college campus safety and want to be a part of this, then please come audition for these characters on Tuesday, March 7th, 2017 at the Brownson Theater. Kathleen, Sean and myself will be there, conducting the auditions. If you are selected, we will email you and give you further instructions for the upcoming shoot. And, if you're not selected to play one of these 4 characters, you can still be involved in the feature as an extra, if you would like. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at my address below. Likewise, if you're interested in learning more about Peace Outside Campus, then you can visit their website at www.peaceoutsidecampus.org 

PEACE OUTside Campus joins the Global #GivingTuesday Movement
Pledges to advocate student safety and promote peaceful and safe living environments in college communities.
 
Elmsford, New York (November 5,2015) - PEACE OUTside Campus, The Lindsey M. Bonistall Foundation has joined #GivingTuesday, a global day of giving that harnesses the collective power of individuals, communities, and organizations to encourage philanthropy and to celebrate generosity worldwide.  Occurring this year on December 1, #GivingTuesday is held annually on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving (in the U.S.) and the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday to kick-off the holiday giving season.  It is with hope that #GivingTuesday will inspire people to collaborate in improving their local communities and to give back in impactful ways to the causes they support.
 
PEACE OUTside Campus’ #GivingTuesday campaign celebrates “A Season of Giving.”  Our wish is to #GivePeace and continue our mission of advocating for student safety and promoting peaceful and safe living environments in college communities.  “We are pleased that leaders like Governor Cuomo are declaring that ‘Enough is Enough’ in regards to sexual assault, but more needs to be done,” states Kathleen Cooney Bonistall, co-founder of PEACE OUTside Campus.  “Sexual assault is just one of many safety issues like hazing, unsafe living conditions, drug and alcohol abuse, and dating violence that are robbing our students of the safety they deserve,” continued Bonistall. 
 
For this New Year, it is our goal to reach thirty high schools in the Spring of 2016 through our Teens ‘N Transition (TNT) and Identify The Risk (ITR) programs.  Since 2005, PEACE OUTside Campus has forever impacted the lives of over 10,000 students and their families with our message of student safety.  It is our hope that we can continue to #GivePeace and impact the lives of even more students as they prepare to go off to college.
 
So after your Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping, join the movement and bring about real change in our local community.  Help PEACE OUTside Campus #GivePeace on December 1st!

PEACE OUTside Campus was a panel member at the YWCA’s Fall Symposium “Combating Sexual Assault On College Campuses” on Monday, October 26th, 2015.  There were over 70 individuals in attendance, including: students, parents, college and university administrators, organizations, and local, state and national government officials to discuss the current state of Sexual Assault on College Campuses. Panelists included:

• Kitley S. Covill, Esq., Board Co-President YWCA White Plains and Central Westchester
• Cynthia Markus-Jones, University Police Inspector SUNY Purchase
• Elise Murphy, Program Director PEACE OUTside Campus, The Lindsey M. Bonistall Foundation
• Carol Robles-Roman, President/CEO Legal Momentum
• Monica Sobrin, Student/Representative Fordham University and Students United for Safer Schools

The Facts:

• 1 in 4  women experience sexual assault in college
• 1 in 16 men experience sexual assault while in college.
• Among nearly 9 out of 10 college women who are raped know their attacker
• 90% of campus rapes are perpetrated by repeat offenders
• Between 80-905 of rape and sexual assault victimizations of students go unreported to police.  However, in two-thirds of the incidents the victim did tell another person, usually a friend, not family or school officials.

 Discussion included:

• “Enough is Enough” legislation – What NY is doing to be at the forefront of Sexual Assault Prevention and Accountability
• Title IX Rights and Responsibilities of College and Universities
• Importance of early education and discuss of sexual assault before college - California law requiring consent and sexual violence prevention education in high school
• The role alcohol and sexual assault

Training is underway for the Fall 2015 Teens 'N Transition program leaders.  This season, POC has brought together 11 college students representing 1 mission: student safety.  TNT program leaders range from Freshman to Seniors and come from Iona College, Manhattanville College, Pace University, and Purchase College.  All with different backgrounds and different stories, our fall interns can't wait to share what they've learned at college and look forward to passing along crucial information to high school students this fall.  We are very excited about this presentation season!  

Prior to presenting, all interns must go through an intensive training program. Training begins by learning about Lindsey Marie Bonistall, our Foundation’s namesake. Interns also get to hear from Board Vice-Chair, Kathleen Bonistall, about Lindsey’s legacy and the Foundation. Followed by the background of PEACE OUTside Campus, interns are taught about leading campus safety legislation like the Clery Act, Title IX, and the recent NY "Enough Is Enough" law.  

Much of the training is specifically spent learning about our presentation topics, which include: on and off campus living, personal safety, social life, hazing, influence of alcohol, date rape drugs, sexual assault, and dating violence. Interns are also instructed in the art of public speaking. 

This season, we are thrilled to have two guest speakers enhance our training program. Clarissa Espinoza, from Victims Assistance Services, will explain the traumatic impact of sexual victimization.  Interns will also learn about different types of abusive relationships, how to seek help, and legislation surrounding dating violence from Natalie Sobchak at Pace Women’s Justice Center. 

By late October, interns will be well versed in the content and will go through several rounds of mock presentations before presenting in front of the Board of Directors at PEACE OUTside Campus. With the Board’s approval, each intern will be ready to present to area schools.

If you are interested in scheduling a program for your high school or want more information about Teens ‘N Transition, please call 914-428-4411 or email elise@peaceoutsidecampus.org. 

PEACE OUTside Campus attended The Fearless Conference hosted by The Do Write Campaign and Joyful Heart Foundation on Friday, September 18, 2015 in NYC.  The event brought together high school and college students, parents, administrators, law makers, likeminded organizations, and movie producers to discuss Sexual Assault Prevention. Presenters included:

• “The Backlog Crisis” - Ilse Knecht, senior Policy and Advocacy Advisor, Joyful Heart Foundation
• “The Call to Men” – Ted Bunch, Co-Founder and Director of A Call to Men
• “The Call to Students” – Josy Jablons and Meghan Racklin, NYU “The Call to Parents” – Charlotte Poth, The Center for Sexual Assault Crisis Counseling and Education
• “The Call to Conversation” – Katie Cappiello and Meg McInerney, SLUT: The Play
• “The Call to Action” – Ileana Jimenez, Student Active For Ending Rape (SAFER), Representative Sarah Merrimen, Jessica Buchanan, The Center for Sexual Assault Crisis Counseling and Education, and Jean Bucaria, NOW-NYC

In addition to the guest speakers and discussion based workshops, there was a screening of The Hunting Ground.   The Oscar-nominated film is an exposé of rape crimes on U.S. college campuses, their institutional cover-ups, and the devastating toll they take on students and their families written and directed by Kirby Dick and produced by Amy Ziering.  Also shown was an introduction to the film India’s Daughter.   Directed by Leslee Udwin, the film is based on the 2012 Delhi gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old woman who was a physiotherapy student.  There was a brief Q&A with Producer Peggy Cafferty and Director Leslee Udwin following the film. 

Information to check out: 

1. Callisto is designed to provide a more empowering, transparent, and confidential reporting experience for college sexual assault survivors.  Students can fill out an account of an incident online, save the report, and decide if they want to report now or later.  Website:  https://www.projectcallisto.org/
2. Amnesty Policies at colleges/universities – (similar to the Good Samaritan Policy) students cannot be punished for use of illegal drugs/underage drinking/etc while reporting sexual assault.  Check to see if your campus has an Amnesty Policy!
3. Better Sex Talk - http://www.bstcampaign.org/
4. End the Backlog - http://endthebacklog.org/ Information and alerts regarding rape kit backlogs. 

Now that college acceptance letters have been sent and the school year is rapidly coming to a close, the next thing on both parents and high school senior’s minds is one thing – COLLEGE! Being that this will be one of the biggest transitions in life, we want everyone (parents included!) to be as prepared as possible for the next amazing step ahead!

The Woman’s Club of White Plains Foundation is pleased to host an important program on college safety for parents and students led by PEACE OUTside Campus, The Lindsey M. Bonistall Foundation, on Wednesday, April 22 from 7:00-8:30 p.m. at the Woman’s Club of White Plains.  This free event will feature Kathleen Cooney Bonistall and staff from PEACE OUTside Campus as they lead a discussion about on and off-campus living, personal safety, social life, hazing, drugs and alcohol, date rape drugs, sexual assault, and dating violence. This presentation is a perfect conversation starter for incoming college students and their parents, as they prepare for the transition into college.   

For further information about this or any other presentation please contact Elise Murphy via email at elise@peaceoutsidecampus.org or at (914)428-4411.

Training is officially completed! After eight weeks of hard studying and practice, I am proud to announce that all the interns (including myself of course) have passed with flying colors! Last Saturday, March 7, each intern went in front of the executive board members and impressed them with their oral presentations. The topics that were covered included; on and off campus living, personal safety, social life, hazing, influence of drugs and alcohol, date rape drugs, sexual assault, and dating violence. A huge aspect of each presentation is the personal stories provided by each of the interns. It is this crucial personal connection with the audience that shows the passion each intern has for the Teens ‘N Transition program, and the final element the executive board searches for to make the final decision that we are ready to present to the public.

On behalf of my entire team, I am proud to say that the eleven of us have gone from complete strangers from six different colleges around New York to a new group of friends after sharing our thoughts and stories on all the topics covered for the past eight weeks. Thanks to the numerous guest speakers, training on the material and in the art of public speaking itself, we were all able to put our best presentations on for show. Thanks to this program, we all have a strong support system in whatever college or life may now throw at us. This is living proof that no one student is alone, and that is one of the most important messages we are trying to get across to our audiences. Going through this training program made me realize that college truly is the best four years of my life, and POC is here to make sure that you can get the most out of your experiences by coming into school prepared on all fronts. 

Intern, Taylor K.