The goal of the annual event was to unify the college community, which dovetailed with the past week's events, said Genevieve Mifflin '14, a sexual abuse peer advisor and organizer.
"We talked about changing some things I added some things in my speech that I wasn't necessarily going to say before but otherwise, we stuck to what we were going to do before because that made sense," she said. "It's all about coming together. There was no real need to switch anything."
Mifflin said the problems facing campus, including sexual harassment and assault, cannot change overnight, but that any level of participation in the event is positive.
"People being present whether or not they clap or give a speech, just the fact that you're there in support and wanting to learn, makes a difference," she said.
Maya Johnson '14, also SAPA, said she hopes the event will give people the energy to take action.
"I feel like this is kind of an issue that is hushed and people don't really talk about it, so I'm hoping after this people will be more open to talking about it and putting more pressure on other people to act," she said.
Sexual abuse awareness program coordinator Rebekah Carrow pointed to the apathy, silence and defensiveness that plague college campuses.
Carrow said institutions with far fewer resources than Dartmouth combat the same issues and asked audience members to give the College hope to change its future.
She recognized the large number of community members working to solve the problems of sexual assault and violence, which she described as one of the "most intimate types of pain."
Carrow encouraged attendees to make the community comfortable.
"We claim Dartmouth as a home for everyone," Carrow said.
Carrow led the crowd in chants of "Dartmouth unite, take back the night!" and "Yes means yes, no means no."
The crowd that had assembled on the Collis Center porch and then marched down Massachusetts Row and Webster Avenue before circling around Baker-Berry Library and stopping in middle of the Green, where they stood in a circle and responded to the prompt, "I want to be part of a Dartmouth..."
Conversation revolved primarily around issues of sexual assault but touched upon the Dimensions protests and the administration's decision to cancel classes in response to threats and hate speech.
"I think that because it was immediately following the events of the weekend, it was something lying heavily on our hearts and minds," Mifflin said. "Everything is welcome, that's what we're dealing with."
It appeared that more students attended the gathering in the middle of the Green than last year, Johnson said. She speculated that the week's events may have sparked greater interest.
Mifflin was pleased with the evening's outcome but said it is difficult to measure the event's impact.
"At the end of my speech, I said, For the first time I have real hope, not just the promise of hope,'" she said. "What's important is how much everyone cares to participate or participates in their own way. Maybe some people are dealing with the things that happened to them on a less public scale."
"Take Back the Night" is an internationally recognized campaign held throughout colleges and cities. The event usually occurs in April for Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
