WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2016 | SERVING TEXAS A&M SINCE 1893 | © 2016 STUDENT MEDIA | @THEBATTONLINE
ADAPTING TO RELOCATION
EDITORIALBOARD
‘Enough is enough’ Up to students to hold each other accountable for jokes about sexual assault, changing campus culture By The Battalion editorial staff @TheBattOnline
“N
o means no.” “It’s On Us.” “Step In, Stand Up.” It doesn’t matter how it’s said — sexual violence plagues America. And Aggieland is no exception University-wide campaigns like “Step In, Stand Up” encourage students to intervene in instances of sexual violence, but that doesn’t always cover comments and jokes degrading victims of sexual assault. During two of the three Student Senate meetings this semester, negative comments about sexual assault have been brought to center stage. During the Sept. 7 Student Senate meeting, Student Government Association executive chief of staff Emma Douglas was accused by student senator Caroline Turpen of “politicizing her rape” in an effort to persuade senators to confirm her position. During the Oct. 5 meeting, Student Body President Hannah Wimberly confronted senators Taylor Baumann and Nick Page in front of the senate body after screenshots from a GroupMe — called “Sharps Army” — surfaced, which captured derogatory sexual messages allegedly sent by some senators about members of Wimberly’s family and joking about Douglas’ sexual assault. For the first time in university history, women dominate leadership roles at A&M. Cecille Sorio is the second ever female Corps Commander. Wimberly is the third female student body president, and the first in 17 years. This is a historic milestone for Texas A&M — let’s not diminish it by allowing any member of our student body to degrade and insult the accomplishments of these women. Battalion articles shedding light on comments made about Douglas and Wimberly were two of the most-read and reacted to articles of the past year, surpassing 60,000 page views combined and hundreds of comments and shares. Droves of current and former students publicly showed their intolerance for the comments allegedly made by members of the Student Senate. While the overwhelming support of Douglas and Wimberly reflects the mentality of a student body largely made up of Aggies who won’t tolerate this behavior, it has to happen sooner. It isn’t enough to only refrain from participating in behavior senators in “Sharps Army” allegedly exhibited. It is not enough to denounce the behavior only when it becomes public or goes viral. It comes down to everyday interactions. We have to take a stand against it the moment it happens. That means when comments, jokes or situations that perpetuate a cycle of active ignorance and violence occur, we need to voice our intolerance the moment we witness it — no matter how uncomfortable it might be. The university can only do so much to combat the kind of behavior exhibited in “Sharps Army.” While it can punish students for acts of sexual harassment, it cannot hold accountable every single person who utters a distasteful joke. It’s on us — the students of Texas A&M — to reframe the conversation about sexual assault and eradicate jokes about sexual violence from our campus. When sexual assault— and comments about it behind closed doors or in a private GroupMe — happens on campus, it falls on all of us. When we tolerate sexual assault jokes or comments, we are helping to create a culture that diminishes the experiences of victims of sexual assault. It falsely communicates to those victims that comments like these are the norm, and that their pain and fear is invalid. We, as Aggies, need to hold each other, and our student leaders, accountable. We, as Aggies, must demand that our campus is preventative rather than merely reactive to sexual assault and jokes about rape on our campus. We, as Aggies, must finally put our feet down and say enough is enough.
Leah Kappayil — THE BATTALION
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PART 2 OF 2 In wake of services move, studentled initiatives work to compensate By Matt Koper @MattKoper
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or many of the nearly 2,000 students seeking aid from Student Counseling Services, the offices’ new location at White Creek on West Campus has made it ultimately inconvenient to receive the help they need. But student-led and campus initiatives have begun working to alleviate the inconvenience. Offices including Disability Services, Student Counseling Services and the Women’s Health Resource Center — among others — were previously located in Cain Hall adjacent to the Memorial Student Center and Simpson Drill Field. The building was demolished in October 2015 and replaced with Cain Garage, and some of the offices were relocated to White Creek Apartments on West Campus. The move of services at Cain Hall in
(Left) Before CainHall was demolished in Oct. 2015, it was located next to the MSC. (Right) Student Services Complex at White Creek is on West Campus.
order to construct a hotel, conference center and parking garage was an initiative proposed by former A&M president R. Bowen Loftin. A&M System Chancellor John Sharp spearheaded a pre-proposal process of the project in October 2014, according to articles written by The Eagle and The Battalion. The Board of Regents voted in their meeting in September 2015 for the approval of the Cain Hall redevelopment project, and the offices in the building were given a little over a month to move out. During the time of construction of the Student Services Complex at White Creek, students in need of the services provided by the relocated offices say incomplete sidewalks, unfinished construction, unmarked temporary modulars and confusing public transportation made it difficult and stressful to navigate the area. The A&M Student Senate took particular issue with the relocation of the offices of Cain Hall. Then-finance chair of Student Senate Joseph Hood, who is now the Student Senate speaker, wrote a guest column in The Battalion in September 2015, during the time that Cain Hall offices were being vacated.
“Most students could not tell you where White Creek is located,” Hood said in the column. “Location is crucial for counseling — if students battling anxiety or depression do not know where the service is located, or must go out of their way to receive help, it is far less likely that they will seek what they need.” Following the publishing of his column, Hood said in addition to many students utilizing student counseling services who reached out to him to express their concerns, a representative from the A&M System’s office reached out to him as well. “I asked him if he could provide me with more information, if he had any,” Hood said. “And he said at the time that he would, and he never got back with me on that.” After being unsuccessful in obtaining information from a source from the System office, Hood did his own experiment at the end of the 2015 fall semester. Posed as a student in need of services, he rode Route 03 to White Creek in and recorded the difference between the time it previously took to get to Cain Hall and the time it WHITE CREEK ON PG. 3
‘SENDING LOVE’ TO AGGIE WOMEN LEADERS Aggies 4 Feminism to write letters to women in power, faculty By Chevall Pryce @ChevallP Feminism 4 Aggies, a women’s rights organization on campus, is looking to turn recent negative events into a chance for reassurement for Aggie women in leadership roles by hosting a letter writing campaign. “Letters of Love, Solidarity & Anti-Sexism” is the event hosted in response to controversial, gender-based events such as the most recent Chalk Talk presentation, Student Government Association executive chief of staff Emma Douglas’ treatment by Student Senate after she revealed she had been sexually assaulted and the recent messages sent in the “Sharps Army” GroupMe about Student Body President Hannah Wimberly and her family. During the event, students will write positive messages about those affected in the previously mentioned events as well as to other women in power at Texas A&M, like Corps of Cadets Commander senior Cecille Sorio and members of the faculty. Christina Franklin, university studies senior and treasurer for F4A, said the event is meant to support the women at Texas Leah Kappayil — THE BATTALION A&M, not to focus on those who directed Feminism 4 Aggies is using the letter-writing campaign to turn the controversy into a negative comments toward them. LETTERS PG. 2
positive experience.