Rally brings men, women together

Candles lit up College Green last night as students gathered to show support and speak out against sexual violence. A group of about 50 people, mostly students and some faculty advisors, turned out either to share their own personal experiences or simply to listen to others. The calm, almost soothing, discussion stressed listening and speaking out as a means of healing and fostering awareness of the danger of sexual assault on a college campus. Elena DiLapi, director of the Penn Women's Center, told those gathered of the importance of supporting each other. She said it's good to "get our collective strength together and understand and support each other as we heal, but also as we go about living our lives in ways that respect everybody." The event, called "A Night to Speak Out -- Students Coming Together Against Sexual Violence," was sponsored by Students Together Against Acquaintance Rape, one of the peer health education groups on campus. The evening began with opening remarks from STAAR member Nicole Plumez. Plumez, a College senior, explained that the timing of this event was particularly significant, because the University has recently stopped requiring freshmen to attend workshops by groups such as STAAR. She also noted that the administration is currently in the process of selecting a new head for the Division of Public Safety to replace Thomas Seamon, who was unpopular among women's groups. "The outgoing VP has left a legacy of victim-unfriendly policies, and we need to make sure that the University picks a new VP that is conscious of problems such as sexual assault," Plumez said. Ben Herald, a freelance educator in the area of fighting sexual violence, also offered remarks and opened up the mike to anyone willing to share their thoughts or experiences. Herald emphasized listening, despite how emotionally difficult and painful it might be. Several students shared their own experiences with sexual assault, experiences of their friends or family or simply their feelings concerning the issue of sexual violence. STAAR advisor Kurt Conklin praised the efforts of current group members and urged more students to get involved in these types of workshops. STAAR is unique in its emphasis on both male and female involvement in the struggle against sexual violence. Take Back the Night, the nationwide annual march against sexual assault in the spring, does not include men, which motivated STAAR to sponsor this open event in the fall. Although the audience at the speak-out was predominantly female, there were several male students who came out to listen and show support. Engineering senior B.J. Jones, STAAR's only male member, said, "I feel that the only way we can overcome this problem is by men and women working together."