THURSDAY, APRIL 2, 2015
VOLUME 118 ISSUE 46 NDSUSPECTRUM.COM
NORTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY | FOR THE LAND AND ITS PEOPLE
Protesters Decry Verdict, ‘Rape Culture’ in America
Gathering on Veterans Memorial Bridge raises awareness for taboo topic
Benjamin Norman Head News Editor
A flood of people, about 50 protesters brandished with colorful posters, united together Tuesday afternoon above the Red River. Feet from honking traffic – blaring their horns in support – the activists rallied on the warm sidewalks of Veterans Memorial Bridge to voice their collective disgust of rape culture in America. A recent court ruling sparked the event. Minnesota State University Moorhead student Jessy Hegland created a Facebook group after a local man facing felony charges had his sentence lessened through a plea deal. Taylor Pederson pled guilty last week in a case accusing him of raping an MSUM student in Fargo. Instead of facing up to 20 years in prison with the Class A felony charge, Pederson pled guilty to two Class B misdemeanors. With the plea deal, Pederson avoided jail time and having to register as a sex offender. “This case is just another one where a rapist pleads guilty and gets to live on with his life,” Hegland said. While the case itself catalyzed the event, Hegland said the protesters were not only picketing the verdict. Most, if not all, protesters said something needs to change with the United States’ “rape culture.” North Dakota State student Margalit Balaban said not only was she protesting Protesters stand on Main Avenue with homemade signs. the “lenient charges” against Pederson, but she was also showing her support for women. “We can’t continue to support rape culture,” Balaban said. By doing so “we are saying what happens to women doesn’t matter.” She continued, saying while laws could be stricter, rehabilitation for offenders needed to be offered, too. Recently released polls have put college sexual assaults in the national spotlight. A Public Religion Research Institute survey of millennials found about onethird of respondents said they though sexual assault was “very common” in the university setting. About 40 percent of respondents thought sexual assault was “somewhat common,” the largest percentage. Less than 5 percent said sexual assault was “very rare.” The same poll revealed the majority of millennials – about 60 percent – thought collegiate institutions were not doing enough to address sexual violence on campuses. Because of the stigmatized and complicated nature of sexual assault, many cases go unvoiced, which upsets Hegland. “All of us have a voice, and all of us can do something to stop the violence,” Hegland said. “Silence is compliance. You get it? If you don’t say something, it means that it’s okay for it to keep happening. “And it’s not okay. And we need to say something” Balaban said by standing side-by-side with fellow protesters, a group including Protesters met 4 p.m. Tuesday between Moorhead and Fargo. men, women and children of all ages, a conversation was started. Loral Hannaher said she agreed awareness needed to be raised. Hannaher, a retired MSUM professor, saw the event on her Facebook feed Tuesday morning. As a mother of a daughter, she said the event hit home. “Our campuses need to be safer places,” Hannaher said. “ … It’s too bad this even has to be a part of life.” The protest served as a healing event for some, too. “It’s essential to hold the protest to show that there are people in the community that care,” Hegland said. “That we let the authentic voices be heard and for all of us to heal.” Protesters lined the Veterans Memorial Bridge, unifying
ALLISON PILLAR | THE SPECTRUM
Staying silent only protects perpetrators of violence.
Opinion: Start
the Conversation Allison Pillar Spectrum Staff
KIMBERLY HILL | THE SPECTRUM
KIMBERLY HILL | THE SPECTRUM
KIMBERLY HILL | THE SPECTRUM
their voice against the verdict and ‘rape culture.’
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Rape and sexual assault have been hot topics in the media lately, and I can’t help but think there is more we can do to stop it. But where do we start? How do we get the conversation going? I had the opportunity to hear Tal Peretz, academic at Seattle University, author of “Some Men: Feminist Allies and the Movement to End Violence Against Women” and blogger at masculinities101. com. Peretz was at NDSU talking about feminism, sexual assault and the role everyone, especially men, can play in stopping it. His blog has helpful tips for ways men can get involved in the conversation by educating themselves and using their male privilege to make positive change. I had the opportunity to talk with Peretz after his presentation, and one statement really stuck with me: “When we’re silent, whom are we protecting?” The issue of sexual assault is an uncomfortable topic, but one that needs to be talked about. Paying attention and getting the conversation started is the first step. This past fall, a sexual assault was reported close to home, mere blocks from campus. Just last week, a man who plead guilty to sexual assault of a Minnesota State University Moorhead student was sentenced to just a year of supervised probation. These cases, two of countless reported and unreported cases, illustrate this issue is indeed close to home and one we need to pay attention to. How can we get the conversation started? • Check out The Clothesline Project now through April 10. An open house with refreshments will be held on April 10 from 5-8 p.m. • Invite the NDSU Violence Prevention Educators to talk to student organizations you are involved in • Listen to Jessica Valenti, author of “Yes Means Yes,” a book addressing consent and sexual assault, on April 9 at 5:30 p.m. as she talks about “Why Feminism (STILL) Matters” • Come to the Sexpo organized by the NDSU Women’s Activist Organization to learn about community resources and organizations doing work to end sexual and domestic violence • Attend Take Back the Night during the fall semester to support survivors of sexual assault • Participate in rallies and protests in the community • Read books and blogs about feminism and sexual assault prevention because they everywhere • Watch videos of Jackson Katz, Laci Green and Jessica Valenti, activists who address sexual assault in their work
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