Category Archives: Resources for students

Change Happened at BU: A Student Activist’s Story

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Just weeks ago, Boston University announced the establishment of a sexual assault crisis and prevention center, which is set to open its doors at the beginning of the 2012 school year. Of course, there are some amazing student activists behind this success story. Without further ado, I’d like to introduce Sarah Merriman, whose guest post below chronicles her and her fellow students’ struggle to make change happen at BU. You can also read the proposal they submitted to their school’s administrators by clicking here. Congratulations to Sarah and all of the student activists at BU for this incredible achievement! 

February 20th, 2012. That was the Tuesday morning that dawned bright and cold, the Monday morning in which my life, my experience as a BU student, and my activism, was about to change forever.

My activism, as a student, a researcher, and a feminist operating in Boston and out of BU’s Center for Gender, Sexuality, and Activism (CGSA) has always centered around issues of interpersonal violence, and almost always focused on sexual assault. For years, it has felt like I have been banging my head against a wall of bureaucracy and budget issues to get an ounce of sexual assault prevention to my fellow students at BU. Other students like me had gone in these same circles. Nothing was happening.

On this Tuesday morning, though, we caught word that a hockey player had assaulted another student over the long weekend, the second in a line of hockey player-perpetuated attacks. Suddenly, this was the incident that launched a thousand students, so to speak. People were confused, angry, shocked, mobilized, and they were looking to the CGSA for guidance. We were the only people on campus consistently working on feminist issues such as sexual assault, and the student body needed us.

After an exhausting few weeks of press, town halls, being attacked on the internet, a task force being formed, and a lot of stressful meetings, a few of us, students both within and outside the CGSA, decided it was time to write a proposal for what we were calling a “rape crisis center.” No student initiative comes to fruition at BU without a written proposal and a strong case, and even then, we knew this was a long shot. But we had to try.

Over many meetings (that went from 9 pm to 2 or 3 in the morning), plus countless hours of outside research that included looking at other universities’ policies and prevention and treatment measures, taking meetings with many experienced university professionals, gathering over 1,000 signatures of support on an online petition, and, in many ways, redefining the dialogue happening across campus about rape culture, we formed a document. It was an exhaustive 20 pages. No stone was left unturned. We attached letters of support from community leaders, and we had our consultants approve the whole thing before turning it in.

I had expected a delay well into the summer. A five-year plan floated in my head. What I never expected, on April 30th, 2012, another bright beginning to my week, was the letter that read that a center would be opening in the Fall of 2012. This year. In a few months. It was happening. It would include bystander intervention training, multiple crisis counselors, and a prevention specialist. I cried as I realized the one thing I had fought for for my the entirety of my undergraduate career was being realized.

Never have I felt like more of a warrior than I did this past year. I was fighting within my school, my community, for its betterment. Famous feminists and national leaders were using my words to send their support for this space and this mission. The paragraphs of prevention suggestions that I wrote will be used in reality. I can’t emphasize enough that the “student voice” is not a worthless one. I was hitting a wall for years before incidental timing and a community ready for change, plus an incredible group of seven students from different backgrounds and experiences, made this proposal happen. That’s student power. That’s why we do what we do, everyday.

SAFER’s Newest Activist Resource Center (ARC) Article, “Campus Policy: Down to Details”

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Head over to the ARC to check out SAFER’s latest resource for campus activists, “Campus Policy: Down to Details.”  This article, created by Board Member and ARC Coordinator Renee and her intern, Cat, breaks down some of the most minute details of sexual-misconduct policies that are otherwise easily overlooked. Here’s the official description from Renee and Cat:

SAFER recognizes that no single policy works for every school; every campus has unique challenges and situations that need to be considered. This article helps students critically analyze their policy in order to be as comprehensive and inclusive as possible. It can also be used as a group activity or conversation starter.

And Happy Friday!

Apply NOW for FlipIt!

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Are you an undergraduate student currently residing in or around New York City? SAFER has teamed up with NOW-NYC and A Long Walk Home for FlipIt: Students Organizing Against Violence, a free, one-day student summit and interactive workshop focused on campus organizing, policy reform, and using art for social change. Students of color, students with disabilities, LGBTQQI students, and men are encouraged to apply. I’ve included a brief summary of the day’s activities below, but you can head over to the conference’s Facebook page to learn more.

• Receive in-depth training on sexual assault and campus policy with anti-violence and advocacy experts
• Build a new school peer-group that will work together to make change on your campus
• Connect with local organizations and leaders in activism
• Become part of a new city-wide network of students and student leaders working to stop sexual assault

The event will be held at Pace University on April 14, 2012, but the application deadline is right around the corner. Make sure to apply by March 12, 2012! 

Winter Break Challenge: Policy Reform Mini-Webinar!

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To get the Winter Break Challenge rolling, SAFER’s Training Coordinator, Erin Burrows, guides student activists through the steps of policy reform in a series of awesome webinars! First up: Deconstructing “Tone and Definition” in your school’s policy. You can find links to shortened and extended versions below. Enjoy!

SHORTENED VERSION

EXTENDED VERSION

Survey Affirms Prevalence of Rape in the U.S.

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A major (more than 16,000 participants) study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institute of Justice and the Department of Defense found that almost 1 in 5 American women and 1 in 71 American men have experience a rape or attempted rape in their lifetime, and that the annual number of rapes in the U.S. is estimated at more than 1 million. While these results are not a surprise, and correspond with results found in other studies, it is still valuable to have this level of data gathered in such a thorough, careful study.

You can find the report and the associated press releases on the CDC’s website. I’m adding a link to the sidebar too (under Sexual Assault Statistical Information) so you can find it again when you carefully need to explain to someone for the 300th time that rape is a huge problem in the U.S. and just because no one has told him (or her, but this conversation often happens with hims) about their experiences doesn’t mean that it is not happening.

Take a look too at what the report has to say about the consequences of surviving an assault:

A vast majority of women who said they had been victims of sexual violence, rape or stalking reported symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, as did about one-third of the men.

Women who had experienced such violence were also more likely to report having asthma, diabetes or irritable bowel syndrome than women who had not. Both men and women who had been assaulted were more likely to report frequent headaches, chronic pain, difficulty sleeping, limitations on activity, and poor physical and mental health.

“We’ve seen this association with chronic health conditions in smaller studies before,” said Lisa James, director of health for Futures Without Violence, a national nonprofit group based in San Francisco that advocates for programs to end violence against women and girls.

“People who grow up with violence adopt coping strategies that can lead to poor health outcomes,” she said. “We know that women in abusive relationships are at increased risk for smoking, for example.”

So maybe now we can start talking a little more seriously about preventing this major public health menace?

h/t to Jezebel, and a major shout-out to the Jezebel commentors, who did a really lovely job of politely but firmly telling the first person to deny these statistics based on his experience just why he was wrong.

Know Power So You Can Challenge Power

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I had the pleasure of hearing Robert Caro, historian extraordinaire, speak two nights ago. Caro’s most famous book is The Power Broker, rightly described by the author as a study of how power works in the form of a biography of Robert Moses. If you want to truly understand how power is wielded by those in authority in the United States, I can’t say enough about how important it is to read this book. I first read it in college, and it blew me away then. Ten years later I now work in government in Albany (where much of the action of the book takes place), and all I can say is that now I know from experience that it is the best thing you’ll ever read to understand how our government – and, really, power in any institutional setting in the U.S. – really works.

So for all of you looking to more effectively speak truth to power, pick up The Power Broker over Winter Break (it’s not, admittedly, the shortest book you will ever read at around 1300 pages, but very worth the time) and start thinking about how you can apply its lessons to your campus when you get back in January.

Introducing Self Care 101!

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Renee, one of SAFER’s amazing Board Members, has been working tirelessly alongside Cat, her intern extraordinaire, to bring you SAFER’s latest resource for student activists: Self Care 101. Check out Self Care 101 in SAFER’s Activist Resource Center (ARC) to learn more about burnout signs and ways for activists to take care of themselves. A special thanks also goes out to Rebekah Carrow, Melinda DuBois, and Board Member Dan Wald for contributing to this project. The following post about self care was written by Melinda DuBois. Enjoy! 

My name is Melinda DuBois, and I am the Administrative Director of Student Health and Counseling at SUNY Geneseo. I am also the Deputy Title IX Coordinator for Students. In my role as Administrative Director, I oversee four departments, health services, counseling services, health promotions, and Alcohol and Other Drug programs. I have been at SUNY Geneseo for 2 years, and before that spent 15 years in the reproductive health field, as the Executive Director of an abortion clinic. In the last 17 years, I have encountered many women who have experienced sexual assault. At the abortion clinic, I developed a procedure for collecting DNA forensic evidence for women who were pregnant as a result of a rape. Because this required collaboration with other community members, I became involved in the Rape Crisis Advisory Committee, a dedicated coalition of law enforcement, SANE nurses, activists, advocates, and lab directors.

When I came to SUNY Geneseo, my VP asked me to review the college’s sexual assault policy. This began an intense concentration on our policies, prevention efforts, education, and services for students experiencing an assault. Last year, the college engaged in a yearlong effort to educate the college community on sexual assault which culminated in the Sexual Assault Teach In. 300 students, faculty, and staff participated in a facilitated discussion about our campus. Participants critically examined our policies and services, and made suggestions for improvement that we developed into an action plan.

This year, Jennifer Katz, psychology professor and I have been co-chairing the sexual assault advisory committee to help implement the action plan. Our goal is to develop policies and services that can be exemplary, innovative, and meet the needs of all of our students. Our campus has also designated me the Title IX coordinator and advocate for students who need to discuss their sexual assault experience and explore their options.  In this role, I meet with students who are experiencing a range of feelings, i.e. fear, shame, guilt, anger, and confusion and help them navigate these feelings and navigate the system.

In my experience, self care is extremely important to avoid burn out. This work is intense, and activists can quickly find they are struggling with nightmares, frustration, transference, and their own trauma. How to handle these intense feelings needs to be a priority.

In my work, two techniques to avoid burnout have worked the best for me. Talking with close friends/colleagues about my cases and struggles is key. Frequently, I talk with my professional colleagues about my sessions with students, as well as my frustration with the system. By discussing my feelings in a confidential way, I have been able to process them for myself, get a better perspective on the situation, and find how I can best help. If I were unable to talk with my close friends, I would find it difficult to continue this work. Doing good work means you are emotionally involved. Being able to talk with someone about your own emotions is important.

The other technique I find helpful is paying attention to the moment and the small progress that is made. When talking with students who have experienced an assault, I find it most helpful when I can concentrate on their story, their emotions, and their concerns without trying to judge, make a plan, or attend to my agenda. Students need someone who will listen to them. Allowing students to talk allows them to develop their own plan. It is so important for victims to develop their own ideas about what they should do for their own healing. In hearing their stories, I often find myself wishing they would pick a different path. Checking in with those feelings, acknowledging that they exist, and letting them go is essential in this work.

As a person working for change on our campus, I frequently feel frustrated and impatient with the process. When feeling this type of burnout, I find it helpful to remember the small progresses we make. The small changes that have occurred to the policy, the additional services we provide, and the students I meet with collectively add up to major changes. Focusing on individual small improvements in services, education, and procedures helps when feeling frustrated or confused about the entire process. Good change takes time.

In addition to my two techniques for self care, I have some additional suggestions…

  • Accept that we can only do so much, cannot control everything, and do not have all the answers.
  • Maintain realistic expectations of yourself, the system, and the student you are working with.
  • Know your own triggers and personal issues.
  • Balance giving and getting in your life.
  • Ask for what you want, desire, and need.
  • Maintain a healthy lifestyle.
  • Remember that most students who experience sexual assault grow and learn from their experiences. You have the ability to plant the seeds for future healing.