University of Wisconsin-Madison
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Me Too founder Tarana Burke visits campus, calls UW students to action By Gracie Wallner FEATURES EDITOR
UW-Madison’s Memorial Union auditorium buzzed with hundreds of students, faculty and community members who awaited Tarana Burke, the founder of the Me Too movement, to speak. Sexual violence is not a new issue on college campuses, but the power of Me Too has forced higher education to find its place in the movement. Burke said in order for students to have conversations about sexual violence in the outside world they should be able to have them within their campus community. “There should be an inherent commitment to make this community less vulnerable to sexual violence and based upon the conversations I had today, there is not,” Burke said. Grappling with her own history of sexual violence, Burke founded the Me Too movement in 2006 as a way to give young people a platform to talk about sexual violence and a space to heal. “We were just giving language and basic organizing skills, because we believed people with the lived experiences should be at the forefront,” she said. The hashtag began in 2017 when
actress Alyssa Milano tweeted, “If all the women and men who have been sexually harassed, assaulted or abused wrote ‘me too’ as a status, we might give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem. #metoo.” One year later, 19 million people had posted #MeToo, according to a Pew Research study. While the hashtag increased public awareness of the movement, Burke emphasized Me Too is more than just a hashtag. She said her work is meant provide healing and advocacy for all survivors, especially for historically marginalized people. Burke recognized that conversations about sexual violence have never occurred in the same manner they are now and encouraged the audience to “not waste this moment.” She said Me Too would not be where it is today without individuals making a decision to speak up about being “in a number no one wants to be a part of.” UW-Madison students are part of that number. Me Too at UW-Madison: In class and on campus UW-Madison philosophy professor Aaron Yarmel said students can gain tools to address sexual violence by studying Me Too and related topics from a
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The Me Too movement has a prominent place in higher education, curricula, and the lives of students. variety of fields’ perspectives. “You’re making a mistake if you don’t [address Me Too in class],” he said. Other educators, like Center of Journalism Ethics Director Kathleen Bartzen Culver agreed Me Too has an important place in curricula. “Me Too is the mother of all case studies for crisis management — it’s something that’s going to be on syllabi for years,”
she said. However, Culver mentioned she aided a former student in securing an internship, who later experienced sexual assault on the job. When the student was hesitant to ask for help, Culver recognized the university has a role beyond coursework — faculty and staff need to be an accessible resource for students. “I feel that I am absolutely a resource for students who have
been put in a position like that, but if students don’t feel that you are someone they can come to, if you’re just sort of reinforcing the power structure, that’s something we have to solve,” she said. Jenna Herr, a graduate student in the UW-Madison School of Business, said even after serving as co-president of Women
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International LGBTQ+ students search for their space on campus By Defang Zhang STAFF WRITER
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International LGBTQ+ students search for student organizations that foster a safe space after facing isolation at Uw-Madison.
Worldwide acceptance and visibility of those who identify as LGBTQ became more prevelant on U.S. college campuses in 2018 with events and celebrations held to create a more welcoming environment to all students. According to a report released by Campus Explorer, only 60 campuses had LGBTQ or Gender and Sexuality Centers in 2006. Today, there are more than 100 within the United States. UW-Madison is one of the universities that has enacted institutional policies aiming to increase inclusion for the LGBTQ community on campus. According to a UW-Madison Gender and Sexuality Campus Center spreadsheet, there have been 26 gender-neutral restrooms created in academic buildings and student activity centers on campus.
“Our goal is to provide comfortable space for students within the community,” said Tiffany Lee, crossroad coordinator of the Gender and Sexuality Campus Center at UW-Madison. In addition to establishing more gender-neutral facilities on campus, the Gender and Sexuality Campus Center also provides exclusive programs and training for LGBTQ students and allies who are interested in getting involved, Lee said. Although the LGBTQ community on campus has gained increasing visibility and better support, the awareness of the international LGBTQ community on campus has shown little signs of progress at all, particularly when focusing on female international LGBTQ students. “Minority students are not always open to tell their sexual orientation in public, especially for females who are more shy than males,” said Arya Y.,
a female international student who identifies as a member of LGBTQ community. “I feel like an outsider on campus.” For female international LGBTQ students, besides the Gender and Sexuality Campus Center, finding an inclusive student organization or activist group on campus can be a challenge. “I don’t know what it’s like for undergrads, but I came to UW-Madison as a graduate student in the Gender and Women’s Studies department. I think the GWS department and my cohort have helped me a lot in navigating resources on campus,” said Di W., an alumna who has been a queer feminist advocate for almost a decade. According to Arya, she doesn’t know how to reach out and build connections with female international LGBTQ student organiza-
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“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”