Tonight, students and administrators will march across campus as part of the nationwide Take Back the Night movement, offering support to victims of sexual assault and calling for an end to sexual violence. If the event is similar to those of past years, the relatively few participants will be predominantly female and already involved in campus organizations that deal with sexual assault.
This description could aptly be applied to many of the sexual assault awareness events on campus. Too often, campus discussions about gender issues are initiated, promoted and debated among the same passionate, like-minded individuals. But the kind of cultural change necessary to make headway in combatting sexual assault cannot happen if discussions remain limited to a small group of students who are already dedicated to addressing these issues.
Widespread social change can occur most effectively if supported by a majority of community members. We have admitted that our campus has a problem with sexual assault. Now we must collectively agree upon what constitutes sexual assault, address its causes and determine realistic, applicable solutions solutions that go beyond merely showing solidarity.
This year, more student groups have already been engaging with these issues. Several Greek organizations hung t-shirts from clotheslines strung across their houses this week in support of the Clothesline Project, which uses shirts to represent individuals coping with rape, sexual assault or violent relationships. Earlier this term, the Inter-Fraternity Council hosted a dinner with activist Byron Hurt on the pressing need for male engagement in combatting anti-sexism. While such programming is commendable, we should not solely rely on structured events to start the dialogue.
Ultimately, there is only so much that groups like Mentors Against Violence and Sexual Abuse Peer Advisors can do to reach out to the broader community on issues of sexual assault the student body needs to meet them halfway. We hope that for the rest of the term and beyond, and especially today, students who have not traditionally been involved in the conversation about these problems will make an effort to educate themselves and actively participate in the discussion. Attend the keynote speech tonight. Go to Speak Out on the Green to hear about sexual assault in the victims' own words. Push past stereotypes and listen openly to what our peers have to say.
It is not enough to only offer public displays of solidarity. We as a student body must back up our words with actions if we sincerely hope to make sexual assault a thing of Dartmouth's past.
