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collegian.csufresno.edu
Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018
Page 3
Fresno State’s Award-Winning Newspaper
‘Don’t be silent’ Valley sexual assault reports rise #METOO
113 reports
295 reports
147 reports
73 reports
148 reports
September 2017
October 2017
November 2017
December 2017
January 2018
Incidents reported to the center in person or via crisis line Illustration by Casey Supple
Data collected from the Rape Counseling Services of Fresno (RCS Fresno). The data is gathered when a survivor reports a new incident to the center, in person or via their crisis line. The incident reported can be recent or in the past.
By Christian Mattos @ChrisssyMattos
S
he was 22 when the news director “dragged” her into the production studio. “I knew it wasn’t right,” said Faith Sidlow, broadcast journalism professor. “But I also had no idea that there was anyone I could talk to about it.” She didn’t tell her roommates that he had tried to kiss her. “I was so humiliated.” Sidlow sat among a panel of women and a man Tuesday night recounting memories of sexual harassment she experienced in the workplace. It was the first of the Leon S. Peters Ethics Lecture Series. The discussion was titled “The Me Too Moment: Sexual Harassment and Professional Life.” The panel comes as the national #MeToo movement holds strong after an explosion of sexual abuse reports were revealed by countless women and men -- starting last fall. The wave of allegations have taken down powerful and well-known personalities in media and political circles. Sidlow began the lecture Tuesday evening with a poll. She asked audience members if they have ever been sexually harassed. She then detailed her own experiences of unwanted physical advances in the workplace. Moderated by Dr. Kathryn Forbes, the chair of the
161% increase of sexual assault reports from September to October 2017 after testimonies exploded on social media during the #MeToo movement
women’s studies department, the discussion featured a panel of professionals in different disciplines: Sidlow, Dr. Lisa Bryant of the political science department, Ruth Griffin of the theatre arts and dance department and Brett Sutton, an attorney at law with Sutton Hague Law. Sidlow said harassment typically has less to do with sex and has more to do with power and putting women “in ‘our place.’” Bryant detailed the historic existence of sexual ha-
rassment in politics and the repercussions that have resulted from the #MeToo movement. She specifically mentioned politician Roy Moore and the allegations that he too may have been involved in sexual assault. Those harassment allegations are believed to have brought voters to the polls in order to prevent his election to the Senate in Alabama last year. “Had there not been a widespread movement to draw attention to what was going on, it’s likely [Moore] would have been elected,” Bryant said. “I believe that’s a political ramification of the #MeToo movement.” Sidlow said the current state of affairs based on President Donald Trump’s time in office – and before his election – has largely set the tone for society’s response to sexual harassment. “When a president can brag about groping a woman’s ‘whatever’ and have no repercussions, what kind of message is that sending to other men and women?” Sidlow asked. Bryant referred to Trump as “the Teflon president” because no allegations or misbehaviors “stick” to the public or the republican party. Sutton, the attorney on the panel, said there is a one-year statute of limitations for victims to report sexual harassment. He said he believes sexual harassment training, laws and consequences have educated workers and prevented some harassment.
See #METOO, Page 6