Ditz

Issue date: 2/2/09 Section: Inside the Bubble

www.oxy.edu

A documented one-in-five college-aged women will experience a forced sexual encounter at some point. This statistic is hard to swallow in a post-battered-women's movement era, especially with the awakening of what I can only hope will be a new feminist movement. While experiences of violence and sexual assault are situational and objective, the overall pattern of violence against women has remained fairly consistent. It seems as though we have come so far, but the reality of sexual assault, especially on college campuses, remains pervasive and concerning.

What happened to the work of our mothers and countless individuals who have combated a cultural and international epidemic of violence against women? Where's the dialogue? Take a trip to lower Stewie Hall on the Occidental College campus and you will see. The Center for Gender Equity (CGE) made its debut here in the fall of 2008, and with it follows a re-emergence of Occidental's commitment to a discussion of gender, sexuality, and the fight against sexual assault.

The CGE is also home to one of Occidental's most powerful advocates. S.A.F.E. (Sexual Assault Free Environment) is a student group dedicated to education on and prevention of sexual assault and other forms of sexual aggression. I recently met with S.A.F.E.'s newest campus coordinators, seniors David Martinez and Britt Karp, to learn about what it is they hope to accomplish this year.

Martinez expressed his excitement at the opportunities provided by S.A.F.E.'s new location and the revamping of existing projects. According to Martinez, the biggest break in tradition has been a switch from the Office of Student Life to Community Life under Brandi Jones. This shift provides a new look at the Occidental campus climate and community, hoping to better address the needs and desires of all students. The CGE is also an exciting new installment of sexuality awareness on campus, providing an umbrella location for organizations like S.A.F.E. and Queer-Straight Alliance (QSA). Both Karp and Martinez echoed that with this new direction will come bigger, more involved events.









During the summer of 2008, both Karp and Martinez participated in a two week retreat and training for prevention education and rape crisis advocacy. Within a community as small as Oxy, concerns are two-fold: not only is it difficult to retain autonomy and privacy, but resources are also severely limited. As rape-crisis advocates, however, Karp and Martinez work hard in conjunction with Emmons Health and Counseling Center staff to provide a safe environment to disclose and report situations of sexual assault. Both Martinez and Karp emphasized the importance of reporting, while still allowing for the variation in individual experience. "It's always up to the survivor how far they go with the process," Martinez remarked, "you can just go from saying 'I was assaulted' to full reporting of information to a staff member." If you or someone you know has a forced sexual encounter you can start by calling S.A.F.E.'s anonymous line at (323) 341-4750 or visiting the website's "Anonymous Reporting" page at http://www.oxy.edu/ProjectSAFE.xml.

One of the most exciting deviations from S.A.F.E.'s traditional presence on campus is the inclusion of men in its ranks. Martinez is enthusiastic about the inclusion as a preventative venue as well as supportive measure for survivors. Under previous administration, men couldn't even apply for a position, but men's exclusion from the efforts of organizations like S.A.F.E. was not only ineffective, but also dangerous. "Men are much less likely to report sexual assault because of gendered reasons, so keeping the doorway open for anyone to come in who needs the support" is essential to S.A.F.E.'s mission, Martinez commented. Karp is equally enthusiastic about the inclusion, and the duo look forward to broadening campus perspective on sexual assault prevention and education.

As a woman and a self-identified feminist, Britt referred to S.A.F.E. as an "exciting opportunity to work with a cause that I am passionate about and that resonates with me." She emphasized the importance of college culture awareness and her hopes to "open people's eyes to acquaintance rape and how often rape is dismissed as casual sex." Within the Occidental community, along with many undergraduate institutions, assault is often disregarded and underreported, leading to a climate of silence where "no" means "maybe" and alcohol is an excuse for dangerous and harmful behavior.

Both Martinez and Karp hope to see the reality of sexual assault addressed as well as a greater campus involvement in the fight against violence. Programs for this year include, but are not limited to, "Take Back the Night," "Love Your Body Day" and a week devoted to violence awareness in the spring of 2009. For more information, contact Britt Karp or David Martinez or head down to lower Stewie Hall from 10am-5pm daily in the CGE.

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