SMC 'takes back the night'
Myra Mcgriff
Saint Mary's Editor
In the annual tradition of Take Back the Night, more than 20 students from both Saint Mary's and Notre Dame campuses joined together Monday night to call awareness to sexual assaults that have occurred on the Saint Mary's campus.
The international event is a ritual symbolizing a recovery of space where a specific sexual assault took place. The students formed circles around each site on Saint Mary's campus where a student had been sexually assaulted.
Students said prayers, sang chants and read poetry to represent the reclaiming of a space. As specified in part of a chant, reclaiming space signifies two points: one to empower women and two as strength for victims of sexual assault.
"Women are given a chance to gather and raise awareness about an issue that affects all of us," said Katie Pyonter, Campus Alliance for Rape Elimination (CARE) officer.
CARE hopes that by sponsoring events like Take Back the Night, awareness will be raised about the security of students everywhere.
They hope college campuses will see the importance of making campuses safe for all students so students are not afraid to walk around campus at night.
"I don't have the ability to walk alone at night and feel safe," said Julie Frischkorn, CARE officer.
Understanding students do not feel safe, CARE also hopes the walks provides people with a safe space that stands for more than just reclaiming and naming a tangible place as safe.
The participating students saw the event as an opportunity for people that have been attacked to speak out.
"It makes people involved more aware but also provides a spiritual healing and forgiving," said participant Lindsay Evans. Those involved in the event came not only to heighten their awareness, but also to stand in solidarity with survivors.
Although they may not have been assaulted, students felt an obligation to stand up in a safe space for their friends.
"I had a friend who was attacked and I knew the guy and it was never reported. I came because she couldn't be here," said Evans.
Other students came in the name of empowerment.
Feeling that victims do not get a voice or a place to feel understood, students wanted to come and experience self-expression without censorship.
"I can bring back to Notre Dame, to people that do not feel they have a place to express their feelings, that there is an organization that does empower women to feel safe and express it," said Jana Vandergoota, a Notre Dame fifth year.
All News Stories for Tuesday, March 27, 2001
