Gabriel Gonzalez

Student Life Editor

ESU held its annual Take Back the Night march last Thursday to raise awareness about sexual assault, sexual misconduct, stalking and domestic violence. Like prior years, the 1.4 mile walk began at the Monroe County Courthouse and ended at the front steps of Stroud Hall.

“This month is dedicated to sexual assault awareness,” explained Dr. Brittany Powers, director of Wellness Education & Prevention. “One in 10 women are victims, and so are 1 in 16 men. A much larger number go unreported.” She added, “It’s important as a community to show support and how the campus provides resources.”

And many did show support. The president of Feminist Alliance, Madison Carberry, a sophomore majoring in digital media technologies, attended. “This cause is so big for us, so we just wanted to come and show our support,” Carberry commented.

Students with no group affiliation showed their support as well. “I’ve had my own experience with similar issues, ” said Sarah MacIntire, junior and biotech major, “and I wanted to show support. I just wanted to be part of the bigger cause and spread awareness.”

Around 60 students and nonstudents took back the night, only behind schedule 30 minutes due to late shuttles. From there, however, even the chilly weather wasn’t enough to slow them down.

Before the action started, Safe Monroe introduced the event with a speech and a poem read by a student who had experienced what they were fighting against, priming the marchers for the trek back to campus.

Take Back the Night marchers were handed out signs and chant cards with such phrases as:

• What do we want?! Safe Streets!
• When do we want them?! Now!
• What do we want?! Safe campuses!
• When do we want them?! Now!
• What do we want?! Justice!
• When do we want them?! Now!

Then they were off! First on the road leading to Main Street, then onto the sidewalks with a police escort for security and handling traffic. One long teal line shouted for justice, marching against the cold. Passing cars honked their support.

Nearly an hour later, the Take Back the Night marchers reached ESU and formed a circle to listen to a small presentation by It’s On Us ESU president, Ashley Baker, a junior psychology major. Afterwards, to bring the event to a close, a sea shell was passed around the circle to give students the opportunity to speak out about their own experiences. The evening ended with remarks directing students to resources if they needed them.

According to Rainn.org in an Association of American Universities study, 13 percent of both undergraduate and graduate students experienced some form of sexual assault, ranging from unwanted kissing to rape. While female students make up the majority of the statistics at 9.7 percent, male students report experiencing the same crimes at a rate of 2.5 percent.

For those on campus who have experienced a sexual assault or witnessed a sexual assault, ESU has an FAQ page explaining how to report sexual misconduct. For those who have experienced or witnessed sexual misconduct in the past, ESU offers support resources as well.

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