The unsung agents of change
As the University fails to provide enough vital support to sexual assault survivors, student-run organizations take the lead Words by Tasmima Hossian Warning: Story contains mentions of sexual assault and abuse
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very morning a cool breeze blows between academic buildings, Lawn rooms and various statues scattered around Grounds. One of these statues is of University founder Thomas Jefferson, who stands facing Rugby Road — home to dozens of the University’s fraternity and sorority houses. Today, many students are fighting to stop the violence that often takes place in these establishments and across Grounds. As Jefferson’s institution, the University cannot be detached from its founder’s past. Not only did Jefferson keep 607 persons in slavery over the course of his lifetime, but he was also responsible for the rape of 14-year-old Sally Hemings, one of the enslaved persons at Monticello. The statute of Jefferson that stands in front of the Rotunda is a jarring reminder of this institution’s history. In the midst of the quiet and unusual summer of 2020, a Twitter page — @ExposedUVA — was born. This page gave a platform to survivors to speak out about their abusers. @ExposedUVA publicly named alleged abusers at the University by allowing survivors to direct message the account about their experiences while keeping the survivors themselves anonymous. However, for many, this page and the multitude of examples given about sexual assault on Grounds only highlighted and reiterated what students already knew — sexual assault education and prevention does not hold as prominent a position in the University’s agenda as it should be. “[Prevention is important] especially when the majority of people being assaulted are going to be first years as they are the most vulnerable to victimization,” said Sarah Carter, Class of 2020 alumna and co-founder of UVA Survivors. According to the University’s 2019 Report on the AAU Campus Climate Survey on Sexual Assault and Misconduct, 19.1 percent of first-year
students are victims of sexual assult or misconduct, along with 13.9 percent of second-years, 11 percent of second years, and 9.9 percent of fourth years. In early April, UVA Survivors — a student activist group that aims to combat the culture of sexual violence at U.Va. — published a list of demands directed at the University administration, the Office of Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights and the University’s Title IX office. The group demanded that structural and holistic changes be made to University culture, focusing on University accountability, comprehensive expansion of education and training on sexual violence and increase of survivor resources provided. “It is up to people higher up in the administration to start caring about us and recognizing us,” Carter said. Jefferson’s legacy has impacted Charlottesville and the University for many centuries and with Jefferson still being idolized in University culture today, student groups are working towards a more equitable and safe environment for students and survivors of assault. As it stands, there are three main groups based around sexual assault education and prevention advocacy at the University — Culture of Respect Educators, Take Back the Night and UVA Survivors. CORE is the main education platform for sexual assault prevention for all students while Take Back the Night specializes in organizing a series of events where students can share their experiences and UVA Survivors works to implement structural changes at the University to support survivors. To the student leaders of these organizations, it often feels like students are shouldering the burden of reducing and ending sexual assault on Grounds — and not the University itself. “At a place that’s like U.Va. … the University likes to center student self-governance without any
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