{"id":30711,"date":"2016-11-22T10:12:27","date_gmt":"2016-11-22T15:12:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=30711"},"modified":"2017-11-08T10:15:49","modified_gmt":"2017-11-08T15:15:49","slug":"student-planned-take-back-night-events-focus-campus-attention-sexual-violence-victims","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2016\/student-planned-take-back-night-events-focus-campus-attention-sexual-violence-victims\/","title":{"rendered":"Student-planned Take Back The Night events focus campus attention on sexual violence and victims"},"content":{"rendered":"

As students don the purple T-shirts to stand together against sexual violence, the Eastern Mennonite University campus hosted Take Back the Night (TBTN) with a week of student-planned events. This year, student planners Katrina Poplett and Jonatan Moser focused on interpersonal response and care for victims of sexual assault.<\/p>\n

The events began on Tuesday, Nov. 1, with a discussion group for men and their role in ending sexual violence called “Locker Room Talk.” New on the schedule this year, this discussion was well-attended and successful, Poplett said. \u201cIt shows that young men do want to become more educated about sexual violence and what they can do to help bring about the end of toxic masculinity and rape culture.”\"20161107-tbtn-banner-hanging-from-campus-center-1000px\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Wednesday\u2019s chapel, with Inside Out playback theater<\/a>, and the Take Back The Night Coffeehouse hosted by Professor Carolyn Stauffer<\/a>, drew many students as well. During chapel, Inside Out playback theater illustrated the pervasiveness of sexual assault and how little we address it.<\/p>\n

Outside the cafeteria on Thursday, students had the opportunity to \u201cTake a Picture, Take the Pledge,\u201d making a personal and public commitment to standing with survivors of sexual violence. That evening in the Discipleship Center, \u201cThe Cage We Live In\u201d offered a space to talk about sexual violence on college campuses.<\/p>\n

The Coalition on Sexual Violence Prevention<\/a> sponsored Friday\u2019s chapel focusing on healing brokenness in individuals and the community. Students added their handprints to a banner in the Campus Center which was displayed later in the week.<\/p>\n

“Students Supporting Students: EMU’s Space” on Saturday offered another opportunity for students to connect and reflect on the events of the week and their personal experiences.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
Before an evening lecture, Father Thomas Doyle speaks with Interim President Lee Snyder and Center for Justice and Peacebuilding Executive Director Daryl Byler.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cAwareness is key but we must have space for victims to share,\u201d said Moser.<\/p>\n

Common Grounds hosted Sunday night\u2019s event, a showing of\u00a0 the movie \u201cSpotlight,” which features Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, and Michael Keaton as journalists uncovering a molestation scandal involving Catholic priests.<\/p>\n

Monday evening, the Coalition on Sexual Violence Prevention<\/a> hosted Father Tom Doyle<\/a> in Martin Chapel who spoke on the effects of sexual abuse within religion. Doyle worked for the Vatican in Washington D.C. when the first abuse case emerged in the early ’80s. Since becoming a victims’ advocate, he has worked closely with Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), an organization referred to in the film “Spotlight.” The film showing the day before made Doyle\u2019s visit especially relevant and powerful, according to Moser.<\/p>\n

Following his lecture, a candlelight vigil was held on the Campus Center balcony.<\/p>\n

Eastern Mennonite Seminary students had an opportunity to submit art, poetry, and stories for the creation of an intentional space where students could go to sit with these contributions to reflect and make contributions of their own.<\/p>\n

\"20161102-Take<\/a>