National data tells us that over five hundred N.C. State women will experience a rape or attempted rape each academic year, and that 1 in 4 women will be the survivor of a rape or attempted rape by the time they graduate from college. Additionally, national studies tell us that 1 in 7 boys will be sexually abused in their lifetime. Therefore, every person on our campus has a friend, classmate or suite-mate affected by sexual violence and yet the community is hardly aware of this situation.
Take Back the Night has been held at N.C. State for over twenty years and raises awareness for sexual assault on college campuses. This event is hosted by The Movement peer educators, a group of male and female students who are dedicated to ending interpersonal violence. This year’s theme is “Wolfpack Unite, Take Back the Night”. At 5:45pm, Wednesday, March 30, impassioned students will march to Talley from the West Campus Amphitheater, the Honors Village and Greek Court. Once the crowd gathers behind Talley, the rally officially begins at 6:30 and combines speeches from campus leaders, survivors’ stories, campus and community resources, entertainment, a display of t-shirts painted by survivors and their loved ones and free food.
Sexual violence is the result of a culture that promotes gender inequality and the expression of power and control. The only way to end sexual violence for good is to change this interpersonal violence-tolerant culture into an IPV-intolerant culture. The first step is awareness.
Earlier this year, the “Wake Up, It’s Serious” campaign began after the most recent Free Expression Tunnel incident. “Wake Up, It’s Serious” focuses on racial intolerance and is working to educate NC State’s community about the realities of the current culture. The Movement has been using Take Back the Night as part of their educational and awareness approach to ending the tolerance of sexual violence.
At LeaderShape last year, I was asked to write my vision for the change that I wished to make in the world. I wrote, Sexual assault is gone. Men and women no longer worry about their bodies being violated. A woman can walk down a street at night without looking over her shoulder. She can go to the party with no worry of acquaintance-rape. A man doesn’t have to be frightened of the possibility of his partner sexually assaulting him. Men and women do not worry about their basic right of consent. They can say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ and people listen.
The road to my vision is not short or easy, but awareness events like Take Back the Night will help guide our culture to the right pathway. We need the N.C. State community to pull together, Take Back the Night, and show that N.C. State will not stand for sexual violence.
Olivia Desormeaux is a senior in sociology and is currently the Associate Director of the Executive Branch in Student Government.
