Students may notice a group of people standing near the Maxson Plaza this evening, but they won’t be waiting for a bus to swoop in and open its doors — as they will stand for a more important reason.
Tonight, the Women’s Resource Center is hosting “Take Back the Night,” a two-part event where students, faculty and staff will begin a rally at the Maxson Plaza at 6 p.m. and march to the Soroptimist House from 7 to 9:30 p.m.
Jay Jenkins, Associated Students Inc. secretary for women’s affairs, said the event’s purpose is to raise awareness for sexual assault survivors on campus.
“Sexual assault is very close to home,” Jenkins said. “One in five students will be sexually assaulted during their time at college. By marching on campus, we are rallying together that we want a safer campus for everyone.”
Jenkins said guest speakers at the event will address the issue, including Director of Veteran’s Services Marshall Thomas, a representative from the University Police, and a sexual assault survivor.
The “Take Back the Night” event is held every semester, and has seen attendance increase since its inception in 1976, Jenkins said.
“Before this year, it had an audience of 30 to 40 people,” Jenkins said. “In fall semester, we had over 200 people attend along with eight fraternities.”
Jenkins said there will be paper pamphlets passed out to attendees entitled “I Pledge to End Sexual Assault,” which contains information about police, local shelters and other local resources.
She said she hopes that after listening to the speakers, participants will become more comfortable intervening in potentially dangerous situations by using the “bystander approach.”
“[It’s] basically intervening when you see, let’s say a girl at a party and she’s way too drunk to consent,” Jenkins said. “As the ‘bystander,’ you intervene and make sure she gets home safe, or being a ‘bystander’ when there’s a sexist conversation happening and you intervene.”