Student and community groups meet to raise domestic violence awareness

Alumni Hall would have to be filled 12 times to hold all the sexual assault victims from one year, Middle Way House representatives said Tuesday night at a meeting in Collins Living-Learning Center.\nMiddle Way House held a meeting with free coffee for students, community members and related organizations to discuss ways to raise awareness of sexual assault and domestic abuse. Several student groups were represented, including the IU Women's Student Association, IU Men's Coalition and Sexual Assault Crisis Services. Dean of Students Richard McKaig also was in attendance. The groups present discussed the importance of raising more awareness about domestic abuse and sexual assault and why people are not responding to these incidents.\nMcKaig said he has a weekly meeting with police to go over reports and not a week goes by without a sexual assault or domestic battery report.\n"It's exhausting when the same five or six people are doing all the work," IU Men's Coalition Advisor Nigel Pizzini said. "What does it take to get people upset?"\nTo promote awareness, attendees suggested co-sponsoring an event. Many of the groups are involved in "Take Back the Night," and "Thursdays in Black," both of which promote an end to violence against women. One idea offered was a concert in Dunn Meadow, but no decisions were made.\nStudent volunteers for Middle Way House plan to put up bulletin boards in dorms and some greek houses to promote awareness. The group did this last year but plan to put up fewer boards this year in order to channel their efforts to new ideas.\nCurrently, the the IU Men's Coalition is working on a project to certify fraternity houses as "SAFE Houses," which stands for "sexual assault free environment." Though the group hasn't discussed this with fraternities yet, the coalition is developing a program that would give fraternities the opportunity to be evaluated in areas such as environment, parties and attitudes among members.\nThe IU Men's Coalition, which encourages men to take responsibility for their role in misogyny, or the hatred of women, hosts forums for men to discuss masculinity, society's views, their self images and how to make a positive change. The coalition is made up of students, faculty and community members. There are male and female members, but the group's target is male.\nAttendees were in agreement that a unified effort is needed to make a change.\n"They say it takes a village to raise a child. Well, it takes a village to (create) equality and equity," said Middle Way House reprentative Bobbie Summers.