As a part of sexual assault awareness month, the University of Rhode Island’s Violence Prevention and Advocacy Services and the Women’s Center hosted a Take Back the Night Event on April 9.
The event, which was held outside the Memorial Union, featured speakers from the student senate, Powerful Independent Notoriously Knowledgeable Women, URI’s Bystander Intervention Program, the Women’s Center and the Gender and Sexuality Center.
“I also think it’s really impactful for people to hear directly from those who have been impacted and hear their stories,” said Violence Prevention and Advocacy Services Coordinator Kelley Ryan.
Ryan received emails from students who attended the event expressing how inspired they were by the speakers and how meaningful the event was to them. Throughout the event, many survivors of sexual assault talked about their personal experiences and trauma.
Members of Greek life also attended the event to show support for survivors, according to Ryan.
“I feel like events like this definitely help because people sometimes don’t actually expect these serious situations going on within Greek life or anything on campus,” Courtney Green, Sigma Delta Tau’s mental health and wellness chair, said. “So, being here and being able to listen to everybody speak will really help promote a safe campus and Greek life environment.”
URI’s Violence Prevention and Advocacy Services is a part of health services and provides confidential services for students to consider if they want to report an assault or receive access to medical care and ongoing support, according to Ryan. The organization also works with students impacted by domestic and dating violence, stalking and harassment.
“I think it promotes advocacy for sexual violence awareness and that there’s resources on campus,” fourth-year Mollie Clark said. “Also, it kind of gives back to the survivor and their story, so I think it just opens up the conversation more.”
It is also important to acknowledge that it is not just women who are impacted by this issue and that most victims of an attack already know their attacker, Ryan said.
“It’s not a women’s issue, it’s a human issue,” iSTAND intern Noah McLane said.
About one in five women, one in four transgender or gender non-conforming persons and one in seven men are impacted by sexual assault, according to Ryan.
“I think it’s important to highlight that A: anyone can be impacted, B: that there are resources for all of our students and that we’re inclusive, and [C:] to also bring awareness,” Ryan said. “The more awareness there is about this issue, I think the more, the hope is, that our campus continues to be a safe space for students.”
On April 30, Violence Prevention and Advocacy Services will be hosting an event for Denim Day, according to Ryan. The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. outside of the Memorial Union and attendees are encouraged to wear denim in support of sexual assault survivors. Several organizations will be in front of the Memorial Union as part of the event.
