The Take Back the Night march culminated in a candlelight vigil and a Speak Out event, during which community members shared their experiences with sexual assault.
"This event is a means for victims and secondhand survivors to reassert ownership and control over their own bodies and the spaces around them, essentially saying, You don't own me or control me they're my spaces, as well,'" event organizer Dani Levin '12 said.
Event coordinator Jason Tong '12 described the importance of providing support for sexual assault survivors and said it is often a moving experience to help those affected by sexual assault to find support in a community of strangers.
"Take Back the Night serves as a visual reminder to the community to make sure they're aware of the issue," Tong said. "Lots of people think sexual assault doesn't occur, but we're here to remind people that it does, even at Dartmouth."
One in four college women experiences sexual assault, according to Sexual Abuse Awareness Coordinator Rebekah Carrow. Many sexual assault survivors fear how their communities will view them, she said, urging attendees to "imagine a world where safety is absolute."
Alcohol abuse and sexual abuse are inextricably related, according to Alcohol and Other Drug Education Program Coordinator Brian Bowden, who said he applauds the College's success in increasing alcohol and sexual assault awareness.
Following a performance by the Soul Scribes and a testimony from a sexual assault survivor, students related their own experiences with sexual assault and criticized the lack of acknowledgement of sexual violence on campus during the Speak Out event.
"At my high school, they would ask me, Do you feel unsafe at school?'" one poet slammed. "I thought going to a place like this would be different."
Tong said he was "excited" by the number of faculty members who attend sexual awareness events and become involved with addressing the issue, citing the example of a professor who has been approached every term by a different student who has experienced sexual assault.
Dean of the College Charlotte Johnson participated in both the vigil and the Speak Out event.
"This event has been on my calendar for months because it raises awareness, provides an empowering platform for women and men to tell their stories and gives them a voice to participate," Johnson said.
Levin said the event is meaningful to her because Sexual Assault Peer Advisors often operate only within the same campus groups. Take Back the Night offers a way for a wide range of people to participate and show their solidarity for survivors, she said.
"When you give a talk or a lecture, the people in the room aren't the ones that need to be told," Levin said. "The beauty of this event is that it really brings the cause into someone else's living room."
Many students lamented that sexual violence awareness only occurs during forums, lectures or other events.
Sophia Pedlow '15, a mentor against violence, said she believes "sexual assault on campus deserves visibility beyond forums like this one."
Levin said she became involved with the march when she attended a Speak Out event during her sophomore year that changed her perspective on sexual assault on campus.
"When people ask what is the point of having another awareness event, I respond, That's the only way you can cure it constant vigilance, constant visibility and calls for action,'" Levin said.
Those sharing their stories at the Speak Out event requested that their experiences remain private.
