After traveling more than 30,000 miles together in an RV—including making it to all but four of the continental United States—the No More RV Tour team learned some invaluable lessons while taking a rape prevention program to campuses nationwide.

For example, when you’re living in an RV that has fickle plumbing, always take a shower when you get the chance. Also, a March blizzard is possible in New Mexico. And most importantly, say the four 2004 William and Mary graduates who went on the inaugural tour, rape prevention is a cause worthy of enduring all that—and more.

“I’m definitely surprised we reached so many schools and talked to so many students—and that we actually got the tour off the ground after so much planning,” said John Mallory (’04) who joined three fellow graduates, Nick Reiter, Will Carter and Matt Roosevelt on the inaugural RV tour that reached more than 7,000 people and 41 colleges campuses across the country last year. “But I’m not surprised by the reaction we got from the people who saw the program because it’s a cause worth supporting.”

While organizers say the first year of the tour was an unquestioned success—word of the inaugural tour made it into TV newscasts and newspapers and across the country, including the pages of O Magazine—they all agree the work is not finished.

 “The most important goal for this year’s RV tour is to visit as many schools as possible to help end rape on our nation’s college campuses,” said John Foubert (’90), an assistant professor of education at William and Mary and founder of No More Inc., the National Organization of Men’s Outreach for Rape Education. “There are 4,000 colleges in the United States. We’re never going to run out of places to visit.”

He added, “We are just getting started—with this year and our long-term mission to work toward a day when there is no more rape, and no more need for our organization.”

The second year of the tour begins this week when four new faces—including two 2005 William and Mary graduates—pull out of campus Friday (Aug. 19) and head to their first stop at Baldwin Wallace College in Ohio. Along for the ride will be a producer from CBS Evening News, who is filming a story on the tour to air Saturday on Labor Day weekend.

As word spreads, Foubert said, interest in the program continues to grow. Foubert first developed “The Men’s Program” in 1993 while working at the University of Richmond. The program targets male audiences and educates them on how to help a sexual assault survivor. Today, No More Inc. supports 16 “One in Four” college chapters in the United States and Canada. The chapters get their name from national studies that show one in four college women have survived rape or attempted rape since their 14th birthday.

“The demand for our visits is definitely on the rise,” Foubert said. “This time last year we only had only one contract for a presentation. We now have 25 schools already on our schedule and we are well on our way to reaching at least 50 schools in the coming year.”

Foubert said momentum built up through the first year and the team presented the program at 41 schools, including the U.S. Naval Academy and U.S. Air Force Academy. Last year’s RV team traveled through all but North Dakota and South Dakota, Montana and Wisconsin and making a total of 124 presentations to audiences coast to coast.

“This year there six schools in North Dakota alone that want us to visit,” Foubert said.

Momentum is also building behind the concept of the program, which, Foubert says, appeals to men as potential helpers and not potential rapists. With that approach, he said, the audience is less likely to tune out the message.

“When I first saw the program, I was floored,” said Matt Thompson (’05), who is part of this year’s tour team that also includes Chris Renjilian (’05), as well as University of Virginia graduate Dan McCool and James Madison University graduate Grant Schafer. A government major, Thompson was involved in many activities on campus as a student, but says joining “One in Four” made the biggest impact on his life.

“Once I got involved, it immediately became the thing I was most passionate about,” Thompson said. “I think the program really allows guys to learn from each other.”

As plans for the RV Tour continue to grow, Foubert will spend the next two years extensively studying the impact of The Men’s Program. This summer, the U.S. Department of Education awarded him a $275,000 grant that will be used to improve the current rape prevention program, as well as evaluate its effectiveness over a two-year period and share those results with the public.

“We are hopeful that this study will be the first to show a decline in sexually coercive behavior among men over the long term,” Foubert said.

The non-profit organization is also busy raising private donations to pay for the second RV tour and to secure a permanent endowment to expand its reach. While colleges they visit pay modest fees, the majority of the tour is paid through gifts from individuals – last year about 100 donors contributed about $100,000, including a $50,000 gift from long-time supporter and William and Mary Board of Visitor Member Suzann Matthews. Foubert said they need to raise about $75,000 to break even this year.

“Our hope is that at some point we can find a donor who will help us set up an endowment to not only cover our expenses, but to help us expand the tour,” Foubert said. “In a couple years, we hope to have two RVs on the road.”

Meanwhile, recognition for the inaugural team continues. Mallory and the three other 2004-05 team members will travel to New York City this fall when Cosmo Girl magazine will present them with their annual “Born to Lead” award. It will be the first time the honor has been given to men.

“This last year definitely made me aware of how much of an impact I can make,” said Mallory, adding he’s a little surprised by all of the attention.

“We’re just normal guys who had this great opportunity.”