RASA holds ‘Take Back the Night’ campaign

Cries of “Shatter the silence. Stop the violence!” echoed through campus Wednesday as students marched to “take back the night” in commemoration of Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

The UM Take Back the Night rally, part of an international movement, was organized by Rebels Against Sexual Assault and included a candlelight vigil where students shared their experiences of sexual assault.

Speakers included Chancellor Jeffrey Vitter, President of RASA Sydney Green, Head of the UM Library’s Department of Archives and Special Collections Jennifer Ford, Title IX Coordinator Honey Ussery and Director of the Counseling Center Quinton “Bud” Edwards.

“This kind of meeting is happening all over the country and other universities where they are taking back the night for everyone to feel safe,” Vitter said. “We want to make this a family.”

One in five women and one in 75 men will be raped at some point in their lives, according to the 2015 National Sexual Violence Resource Center statistics. Additionally, one in five women and one in 16 men are assaulted on campus while in college.

“Statistics are staggering. We have to change our community to be safer for everyone and that is a shared responsibility that we all need to be vigilant about,” Vitter said. “Awareness, support and looking out for each other are by far the best things we can do to eliminate these sorts of situations.”

Green said events like “Take Back the Night” encourage students to come together for a unified cause.

“I think it’s important we are here tonight as students gathering to take a stand against this issue,” Green said. “It’s really important to pressure our peers to make a change and if something does happen to you or a friend, your peers will support you.”

Tim Potts, chief of the University Police Department, said though he believes the University is a relatively safe place, things happen everywhere.

“I think raising awareness is a group effort,” Potts said. “It’s the student organizations, violence prevention, the chancellor. It takes more than just one.”

Psychology major Madison Baldwin was at the event to support the Feminist Empowerment at The University of Mississippi organization, a new Mississippi chapter of the feminist majority at the University.

“We are here for the empowerment of women, but for the equality of everyone,” Baldwin said. “Our goal is to make the University and the community a safer place for women and everyone.”

Title IX Coordinator Honey Ussery said it is not only women, but men and those of different sexual orientations who deal with assaults. She said everyone should feel comfortable coming to the Title IX office.

Theresa Starkey, assistant director for the Sarah Isom Center for Women and Gender Studies, said integrating student groups like RASA with other campus organizations creates a coalition of support, mobilizes change and is a great way to raise awareness.

Lindsey Bartlett, Violence Prevention Office project coordinator encouraged students to be mindful of each other.

“Tonight is a way for the entire community to agree sexual violence is wrong and we can help them on their path of healing,” Bartlett said. “The best prevention method for violence is asking people to look out for one another and step in at an uncomfortable situation.”

Students  in the rally poured paint over stacked boxes as a part of a healing project. The students were instructed to choose a color that meant something to him or her, share that meaning if they wished, and then pour it onto the boxes, symbolizing unity and diversity of experience. RASA members said this was supposed to allow each individual to be heard, but also show the support each speaker had from their community.