The Feminist Student Association hosted their annual Take Back the Night march with the support of approximately 40 to 50 FSA members and students.
Before the march, a diverse group of speakers from organizations such as the Monroe County Prosecutor’s Office, Indiana University Police Department and the Sexual Assault Crisis Center spoke at Dunn Meadow about the importance of sexual assault awareness.
“We definitely wanted to get a wide array of viewpoints and as much knowledge as we can put out there,” FSA Co-President Hannah Milner said.
Tables from the Kinsey Institute and Student Ethics Board were also set up in Dunn Meadow with information about consent and sexual assault prevention.
This year was the first year the FSA displayed t-shirts from the Clothesline Project. The Clothesline Project is a national organization that spreads awareness about violence against women. The FSA provided T-shirts and art supplies for sexual assault victims to express themselves and share their stories.
“It’s a therapeutic process for survivors of any form of violence to just express that experience and just get it out of themselves,” FSA treasurer Carmen Vernon said.
Creating visual representations on T-shirts served as a form of storytelling without the anxiety of public speaking, Vernon said.
FSA members like freshman Chloe Feyock volunteered at the event to set up and organize tables like the Clothesline Project.
Since changing their name from the Women’s Student Association to the more inclusive FSA, the group has seen an increase in passionate members, ?Vernon said.
“I’ve heard a lot of things about the school, how they don’t seek out people who have been sexually assaulted,” Feyock said. “If we do more of these events then it will get circulation and press and they’ll start noticing that this is a big issue.”
Vernon and FSA Director of Activism Morgan Mohr lead the march from Dunn Meadow to the town square with a Take Back the Night banner.
The march was more solemn and reflective than past years, with the omission of signs and chants, ?Milner said.
This was partly to differentiate Take Back the Night from FSA’s Slut Walk.
“This year we want it to have a different feel than Slut Walk did,” Milner said. “It’s more about supporting survivors of sexual assault and raising awareness about that specific issue within our community, especially being on a college campus.”
The group gathered at the town square for a survivor speak out, a safe environment for students to speak about their experiences with sexual assault.
Several students spoke out about their experiences with sexual assault, receiving warm hugs and encouraging snaps from the group.
The Speak Out concluded with Kinsey grad student and sexual assault crisis counselor Shadia Siliman ?speaking about the ?importance of reaching out ?to others.
“These events bring up awareness and people are afraid to talk about it,” Feyock said. “As a student, even little stupid things stress me out, but if I was sexually assaulted I couldn’t stay here, I couldn’t succeed.”
