Newsflash: “Nighttime March on Campus Spreads Sexual Assault Awareness”…Or does it?
Link to article: http://www.maroon-news.com/nighttime-march-on-campus-spreads-sexual-assault-awareness-1.1311742
I really wish I could have been a part of this march on Monday, April 5th but sadly I was out of town. For those who missed it (like myself) a group of one hundred women and men joined together in a march to raise awareness of sexual assault on campus. And this is where my argument comes in: why did only one hundred people participate in this? The absurd amount of sexual assault that has happened on this campus has affected all of us. And yet, only one hundred students of the 3,000 that go here participated in the march. My question is why? Why such a little number? Was the event not publicized enough? Or are people really not appalled by what’s going on on our campus? I think it’s a little bit of both.
The surprising statistics that came out in this year’s Campus Climate Survey should be discussed amongst the entire student body, especially men. All classes should have been talking about this issue and, yet, the only classes that have talked about this that I have been in are both Women’s Studies classes of which women make up the majority of students. Yes, there are a few men who have really spoken out about this issue but I bet the majority of those marchers were women. And to be frank, it’s the men at this school who need to be educated about sexual assault because more often then not, perpetrators tend to be male. It’s those ignorant boys, like the ones who yelled ““You’re making me horny!” and “Shut the hell up!” that need to be educated about sexual assault. Yes, I understand the school has implemented a “mandatory” lecture on sexual assault but I know for a fact that the majority of students never bothered to go because it was never enforced.
I think another problem is publicity. News that this march was going to happen only seemed to be publicized through the Women’s Studies email outreach and posters around school. Events like this should be emailed to the entire student body. In no way by saying this am I criticizing the march’s organizers; I commend them for started this in the first place. I only wish that it was more broadly publicized and encouraged by faculty and other students.
The Speak-Out and the march have both been two truly important steps to raising awareness on this campus; however, I think the effort needs to be expanded for the whole school to hear and participate in. When I heard about the Speak Out, I really expected it to be ground breaking. Before the Speak Out, I imagined hoards of students and professors walking out of class and joining in the protest. I expected the academic quad to be packed with concerned students and professors. But in reality, only about 50 students were listening and while 50 are better than nothing it is still not enough. When racist slurs were written on the bathrooms of Alumni Hall last year, there was a huge gathering in the chapel in which all different groups of students (for example, Greek and non-Greek) gathered. A huge presence that is missing from sexual assault awareness gatherings are members of Greek life—the institution that, frankly, is somewhat responsible for the sexual assaults that occur on this campus and the way men and women interact and are treated. In a brown bag last semester in which we discussed how to better improve the sexual atmosphere at Colgate, a faculty member stated that it used to be mandatory for all fraternities to go through sexual assault awareness and prevention lectures-Why does this no longer exist?
At the Speak Out, I personally recall one extremely emotional student speaking up about how she was fingered in the Jug by some random dude. I heard whispers around me from both men and women students saying “Yeah, that happened to me too, I never thought of it as sexually assault. I mean it happens all the time. Who cares?.” Situations like that happen ALL THE TIME at the jug and frat parties. It happens so often, that people are blind to the fact that it is sexual assault and is WRONG. We must let the perpetrators and those who watch assault going on and say nothing that this behavior is NOT ok and NOT normal (no matter, sadly, how often it happens on this campus). Colgate’s next step is to organize a sexual assault awareness demonstration that truly reaches out to the entire student body because until awareness reaches everyone, sexual assault on this campus will continue.
I am not sure that awareness of sexual harassment is exactly what Colgate needs at this moment. What is another sexual assault awareness demonstration going to do? The people who recognize that sexual assault is a problem on campus are the people who will attend, and those who do not understand that there is a pervasive systemic problem will continue to scoff.
ReplyDeleteWhile awareness is essential to any type of movement, I think a detailed policy that clearly validates the victim's experiences and provides punishments or disincentives for perpetrators or potential perpetrators is the the most important way to institutionalize a culture of sexual nonviolence on Colgate's campus.
I must admit that my original reaction was in complete agreement with Alexandra --while increased awareness and speak-outs are certainly inspirational and help to express support of those who have been victims of sexual assault here on campus, what is this really doing to prevent future incidents?
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I distinctly remember a female student bravely speaking about her own experience as a sexual assault victim while at the Manifesta lecture earlier this month--the very same student who spoke at the speak-out. This student did, indeed, express that her approach to overcoming the issues of sexual assault on Colgate Campus were multifaceted--including a strong campaign toward the administration to enact strict guidelines and protocol for dealing with sexual assault on campus. Due to her growing frustration with the system's refusal to enact the change she so strongly pursued, she sought advice from the two authors as to how she might best proceed. Indeed, they advised her to continue pushing, and continue to raise awareness in order to better her cause. It is in this sense--when institutional change faces a long road ahead-- that i DO believe that awareness is of the utmost importance. It is a strong mechanism for gradual change when immediate change is not possible.
Reading this blog made me once again question what Colgate needs in order to actually make a difference on our campus. Although efforts seem to have been thus far in vain, I remain a little more optimistic than Regan. Because patriarchy is so intrinsically woven within our society and culture today, it makes sense that eliminating this mindset will take a very long time. While Colgate may seem to be moving at a snail's pace, I think this year serves as a turning point within our campus. The Campus Climate Survey was undoubtedly a wakeup call to many members of both the administration and the student body. The sexual assault lecture was not as enforced to the female students, however I know that the fraternities made this assembly mandatory for their members. Reading Regan's response, I became angry at myself for not attending the nighttime march. As I look back on the day, I question why I did not show support for such a cause when I definitely stand behind it. The awareness it raised, however, may still help others to spark interest in the subject. Also, the lack of attendance may generate a wave of anger in the lack of participation and eventually rally others to join in the efforts. While I think it is obvious there is much more we could be doing within our own campus, I think Colgate is finally taking steps in the right direction.
ReplyDelete