URi-STAND, the Bystander Intervention Program at the University of Rhode Island, held a screening of “The Hunting Ground” to provide education and awareness of sexual assault on college campuses, on Feb. 19.
“The Hunting Ground” is a documentary film produced by Amy Ziering and written by Kirby Dick, and released in 2015, according to IMDb.
The documentary follows Andrea Pino and Annie Clark, who were both individually sexually assaulted before classes at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill began.
The film details the Title IX complaint against UNC and other universities, the severity of sexual violence in college and the silencing affect administrations can have, according to the film.
The film provides the facts of sexual violence cases on campuses, specifically concerning the universities who were not prepared for the extent of these cases, according to URi-STAND intern Emma Wolf, fourth-year psychology and human development and family sciences double major.
“It goes to show how much URI does and how much more seriously we take [sexual assault] here,” Wolf said.
Throughout the documentary, universities were exemplified as an enabler of sexual violence, according to Wolf.
Eighteen to 24 year-olds are at the highest risk of intimate partner violence, according to Hayley Poff, director of client services at the Domestic Violence Resource Center of South County. 57% of college students said it is difficult to recognize dating abuse, which one in three women are victims of, according to Poff.
“We are all the same age and we all go through so many different things,” Liv Massey, a fourth-year psychology and human development and family services double major, said.
said. “Just seeing, at the end of the film, [survivors of SA] are very open about sharing their story.”
The reality exposed in the film, whether they were stories or statistics, could be seen healing the survivors and raw emotion depicted in the film is impactful, according to Massey.
“This really tragic event happened but they were able to overcome it and become stronger because of it and make change,” Massey said.
As a part of the class CSV 302: Bystander Intervention Training, students must watch the film and reflect, as well as attend an out of class event, according to course instructor and coordinator for education, outreach and training Title IX deputy, Keith Labelle. Labelle offered the opportunity to watch the film as a class and invited the URI community to join.
“Even just this semester, I feel like we’ve definitely had a lot of people come up to us, like seeking a safe space, seeking resources,” Wolf said. “I think that’s kind of how we know that we are doing something.”
URi-STAND is looking to expand and diversify, the more people participating means that more people will be reached, according to Labelle.
“I think it all starts with conversation,” Wolf said. “Normalizing talking about healthy relationships and toxic relationships.”
URI students can access the Counseling Center, Health Services and the Psychological Consultation Center for support resources, or call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-4673.
