Students, community members march against sexual assault

The worst thing you can do is nothing at all.

That was the message speaker Toby Strout, the executive director of the Middle Way House, delivered about preventing sexual assault at “Take Back the Night” Tuesday at Dunn Meadow, an annual event that focuses on the prevention of sexual assault in the Bloomington community.

The night started with live music performed by junior Christine Papania, followed by three speakers. The first was Yvette Alex-Assensoh, the dean of the Office for Women’s Affairs, who talked about Sexual Assault Anti-Violence Educators, a group of students who teach the University and Bloomington community about sexual assault in an effort to stop the violence before it starts.

Alex-Assensoh said educating incoming students about sexual assault would help in the prevention process.

Like Alex-Assensoh, the second speaker, Strout, stressed the importance of education.

“We can prevent rape by becoming teachers,” Strout said.

She also focused on how women must not be ignorant about sexual assault.

Another theme for the night was victim blaming and how no woman should feel ashamed if she has been raped. The third and final speaker, Eva Feldman, who wished to use a pseudonym to protect the identity of her daughter – a sexual assault victim – focused on this.

After the speakers, organizers of the event invited the predominantly female student crowd to light a candle in honor of women who were victims of assault in Monroe County. Some of these names were also put on “Remember My Name” bracelets the Women’s Student Association sold for $3.

Toni Haraldsen, a junior and member of WSA, said learning about these women had an effect on her.

“They’re real people that had something horrible happen to them,” Haraldsen said. “It really hits home.”

After the candlelight vigil, the crowd marched down Kirkwood Avenue to the courthouse, chanting phrases like “Women unite. Take back the night.” At the courthouse, the group split into two for a “speak out” and a men’s workshop.

Take Back the Night brought different types of people, but most, including senior Nina Loftspring, a member of Spiritual Youth for Reproductive Freedom, seemed to have the same view of how college students need to change their attitude about rape.

“Our culture has the tendency to blame women for wearing the wrong thing or drinking, and somehow it’s their fault,” Loftspring said.

Haraldsen said in order for the culture to change, people have to band together.

“I hope they realize it involves everyone,” Haraldsen said. “We need to make changes from the ground up through a collective decision to end violence.”