First-Year Althea Larson stands outside Luann Dummer Center for Women with the sign she created. The march garnered the support of about 60 students and lasted for about a half hour. (Abby Sliva/TommieMedia)
The march comes to an end in front of the Closeline Project. The Closeline Project displays clothing with messages in solidarity with sexual assault victim-survivors. (Abby Sliva/TommieMedia)
Students march past the University of St. Thomas sign. St. Thomas has recently improved their Title IX sexual assault reporting by sending out emails to the student body when there is a report of a sexual assault on campus. (Abby Sliva/TommieMedia)
First-year Hazel Erickson carries her sign across the street. Take Back the Night is a national organization dedicated to raising awareness for sexual assault against women. (Abby Sliva/TommieMedia)
FemCom co-facilitator Sofia Leyva shows off her sign while marching towards South Campus. Leyva is a first-year who will take over the duties of organizing these types of events for FemCom in the future. (Abby Sliva/TommieMedia)
Students march through the Anderson Student Center. The march began in the Luann Dummer Center for Women and went through the upper-quad as well as to South Campus. (Abby Sliva/Tommie Media)
Students walk across the upper-quad carrying signs to support victim-survivors of sexual violence. April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. (Abby Sliva/TommieMedia)
Students hold their signs up against the sunset on Summit Avenue. The main goal of Take Back the Night is to draw attention to the fact women are often told not to walk alone at night in fear of sexual assault. (Abby Sliva/TommieMedia)
Students Elena Hicks and Emma Kopp lead way during the Take Back the Night march. The event took place the evening of April 6, 2017. (Abby Sliva/TommieMedia)
As the sun set on Thursday, the University of St. Thomas campus was a little louder than usual, and according to FemCom, a lot more empowered.
Take Back the Night is a charitable foundation dedicated to helping spread sexual assault awareness and ending all forms of sexual violence. FemCom has organized a march to uphold these ideals and to show solidarity with Sexual Assault Awareness month.
Fem Com is a group on campus that focuses not only gender, but other identities such as race and socioeconomic status.
Shannon Twiss, one of four co-facilitators of FemCom, helped organize the event.
“The idea behind it is gathering together as individuals who always don’t necessarily feel safe at night as individuals or in groups and take back that experience of like walking at night,” Twiss said.
The march started in the Luann Dummer Center for women, moved toward the upper-quad, went to South Campus, and ended in front of the Clothesline Project: a string of clothes with phrases written in support of sexual violence victim-survivors.
Participants were encouraged to make posters, and many carried noisemakers. The group chanted sayings such as “people unite, take back the night” and “whatever we wear, wherever we go, yes means yes and no means no.”
The march lasted for approximately a half an hour and ended with a moment of silence for “victim-survivors” in front of the Clothesline Project.
People along the march route were seen clapping and shouting positive things in solidarity, but there was not a shortage of opposition.
A student was spotted with his own protest against the Take Back The Night event. The unidentified male stood outside the OEC with a sign proclaiming the statement that “99 out of 100 women will not be raped.” However, according to the Campus Sexual Assault Study: final report, 1 in 5 women are sexually assaulted or raped during college. He quickly left the area as more and more students gathered to make signs.
“This isn’t a political issue, it’s a safety issue,” junior Whitney Oachs said about the opposition.
The march was followed up with a discussion in the Luann Dummer Center for Women.
“I’m overwhelmed in a good way,” first-year Sofia Leyva said after the conclusion of the event. “We supported and validated victim-survivors and that was the end goal.”
Senior Sam Schultz agreed that the march went well, but that there’s more to be done.
“We need to get the word out there more,” she said. “There’s a lack of conversation, especially among my male peers.”
Twiss advocates for the continued support of “victim-survivors”, especially at a Catholic university.
“There’s always room for improvement,” she said.
She also stressed the importance of resources on campus. If a student has been raped or assaulted, there are places students can report it, or confide in someone.
“First I would say talk to your ‘person,’ and then find someone on campus such as the Title IX coordinators or the people in Counseling and Psychological Services,” Twiss said.
Leyva looks forward to another three years of working with Fem Com on campus, as she is being trained in as a new co-facilitator.
“It’s so empowering,” she said.
Abby Sliva can be reached at sliv7912@stthomas.edu