Take Back the Night events run April 13-15

Take Back the Night events run April 13-15April 09, 2009Janet Epsteinepsteinj@syr.edu

The Syracuse University R.A.P.E. Center will host a series of events-including workshops, speakers and gatherings-for Take Back the Night 2009 beginning Monday, April 13. The events will conclude with the Take Back the Night rally, march and speak-out on Wednesday, April 15, starting at 7 p.m. at Hendricks Chapel.

Sexual violence is a pervasive problem in our society, particularly on college campuses, affecting everyone. This makes awareness events such as Take Back the Night extremely important. Statistics show that an average of one in four college-age women will experience a sexual assault by the time they have completed college.

The goal of Take Back the Night and associated events is not only to educate those on the SU campus about the prevalence of sexual assault and other forms of interpersonal violence, but also to bring members of the community together to take a stand publicly and proclaim that the violence must end. SU is working toward becoming a community of “empowered bystanders,” individuals who take positive action when witnessing potentially harmful behavior. Take Back the Night is a time to celebrate the commitment and courage of those in the community who will not tolerate abusive behavior by other community members and who support those who have been abused.

This year, more than 70 departments and offices across campus, led by Chancellor and President Nancy Cantor, have endorsed the following statement signifying their commitment to taking an active stance against violence:

“As members of the Syracuse University community, the faculty and staff of our department will not tolerate any form of sexual, relationship or other forms of interpersonal violence on this campus. Every member of our community is entitled to live and work in a safe environment, and we are committed to work toward creating such an environment.”

Events this year will be attended by campus and community members, coming together to take a stand against all violence, to raise awareness about attitudes that perpetuate violence, and to discuss ways to work together to make the night safe for all members of the community.

Among the activities is a panel discussion on “Media and Violence” on Monday at 7:30 p.m. in Room 207 of the Hall of Languages. Selected clips from the film “Dreamworlds 3: Desire, Sex and Power in Music Videos” will be shown and discussed.

Campus and community members will have the opportunity to pledge to not use their hands for violence at the “Hands Against Violence” tables located in the Hildegarde and J. Myer Schine Student Center on Monday through Wednesday from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. and at the Goldstein Student Center on South Campus on Monday from 5-7 p.m. In addition, those visiting the Take Back the Night table at Schine Student Center during Take Back the Night week will have the opportunity to learn more about what it means to be an empowered bystander.

A Clothesline Project T-shirt Making Workshop will be held Wednesday from 5:30-6:30 p.m. at Hendricks Chapel. Attendees will have the opportunity to express their personal experience of violence through artwork displayed on a t-shirt.

Wednesday’s Take Back the Night rally, scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. at Hendricks Chapel, will be followed by a march that begins and ends at the chapel. The speak-out will follow at 8:15 p.m. in the chapel. The rally and march are open to the public; however, media attendance will not be permitted at the Clothesline Project workshop and the speak-out due to the sensitive nature of these events. For more information about any of the Take Back the Night events, contact Janet Epstein at 443-7098 or epsteinj@syr.edu.