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Students to 'Take Back the Night'
The event, now in its 29th year at the University, is intended to raise awareness of sexual violence
by Mike O'Brien | News Reporter
Protesting rape and pornography, the first American Take Back the Night march took place in San Francisco's red-light district in November 1978. Thursday marks the event's 29th year at the University.
Take Back the Night - a march, rally and speak-out beginning in the EMU Amphitheater at 6:30 p.m. Thursday - is the largest and oldest of the University's Sexual Violence Prevention Week events. Recognizing April as the national Sexual Assault Awareness Prevention month, SVPW is designed to raise awareness about sexual assault, which can mean anything from catcalls on the street to rape, said Hollie Putnam, public relations coordinator for the ASUO Women's Center.
The idea behind Take Back the Night is "recognizing that (sexual violence) is important or that it can impact anyone so we all are responsible for making our streets safe and our campus safe and our homes safe," Putnam said.
"It needs to be a community effort to decrease the pretty common occurrence of sexual assault," she added.
The theme of this year's Take Back the Night is "Voices of the Unheard" with speakers - including Terrie Quinteros, executive director of the Oregon Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and Patrice Baker, a staff member with the University's ROTC program - focusing on how sexual violence is a weapon of oppression.
"Patrice Baker is going to talk from the perspective of someone in the military, and how sexual assault and the military can intersect," Putnam said. Quinteros will speak about "why sexual assault occurs and what we can do to prevent it," Putnam said.
Today from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the UO Men's Center is sponsoring a walk through campus, marked by signs with sexual assault statistics. Originating outside the EMU Fishbowl, these walks - MOTIVATE, which stands for Men Opposed To Interpersonal Violence Acting To Educate - aim to capture the point that sexual violence prevention is important to everyone, not just women.
Other SVPW events today include a talk and panel discussion featuring Heather Huhtanen of the Attorney General's Sexual Assault Task Force, and a healing and wholeness service at 5 p.m. at the Koinonia Center.
While the Koinonia Center, located at 1414 Kincaid St., is the University's Presbyterian campus ministry, the service will be interfaith.
"It's kind of a time for people to come and have prayer if they want it, have service if they want it, or if they wish to come forward and be anointed - that's an ancient practice used in several different faiths as a sign of starting over - as a way of recognizing what survivors have been through," said Jennifer Martin, campus minister at the Koinonia Center.
Martin said prayer is a good way to offer support to someone.
"You can be present with them both physically and I believe, spiritually," she said. "And that's one thing we can do with folks who are going through hard times."
Ongoing displays throughout campus this week include The Clothesline Project, which features T-shirts made by Lane County sexual violence survivors in the EMU's concourse; posters regarding sexual violence prevention in the Buzz Art Gallery; and books at The Duck Store.
For more information on SVPW's calendar of events, pick up an information bag at the ASUO Women's Center on the ground floor of the EMU.
mobrien@dailyemerald.com
Take Back the Night - a march, rally and speak-out beginning in the EMU Amphitheater at 6:30 p.m. Thursday - is the largest and oldest of the University's Sexual Violence Prevention Week events. Recognizing April as the national Sexual Assault Awareness Prevention month, SVPW is designed to raise awareness about sexual assault, which can mean anything from catcalls on the street to rape, said Hollie Putnam, public relations coordinator for the ASUO Women's Center.
The idea behind Take Back the Night is "recognizing that (sexual violence) is important or that it can impact anyone so we all are responsible for making our streets safe and our campus safe and our homes safe," Putnam said.
Take Back the Night
| In its 29th year at the University, Take Back the Night will begin with a rally at 6 p.m. in the EMU Amphitheater. Following the rally, which will include presentations and speakers, participants will march through Eugene at 8 p.m. The speak-out, taking place downtown at the march's end location of Oak Street and East 8th Avenue, will begin at 9 p.m. |
The theme of this year's Take Back the Night is "Voices of the Unheard" with speakers - including Terrie Quinteros, executive director of the Oregon Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and Patrice Baker, a staff member with the University's ROTC program - focusing on how sexual violence is a weapon of oppression.
"Patrice Baker is going to talk from the perspective of someone in the military, and how sexual assault and the military can intersect," Putnam said. Quinteros will speak about "why sexual assault occurs and what we can do to prevent it," Putnam said.
Today from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the UO Men's Center is sponsoring a walk through campus, marked by signs with sexual assault statistics. Originating outside the EMU Fishbowl, these walks - MOTIVATE, which stands for Men Opposed To Interpersonal Violence Acting To Educate - aim to capture the point that sexual violence prevention is important to everyone, not just women.
Other SVPW events today include a talk and panel discussion featuring Heather Huhtanen of the Attorney General's Sexual Assault Task Force, and a healing and wholeness service at 5 p.m. at the Koinonia Center.
While the Koinonia Center, located at 1414 Kincaid St., is the University's Presbyterian campus ministry, the service will be interfaith.
"It's kind of a time for people to come and have prayer if they want it, have service if they want it, or if they wish to come forward and be anointed - that's an ancient practice used in several different faiths as a sign of starting over - as a way of recognizing what survivors have been through," said Jennifer Martin, campus minister at the Koinonia Center.
Martin said prayer is a good way to offer support to someone.
"You can be present with them both physically and I believe, spiritually," she said. "And that's one thing we can do with folks who are going through hard times."
Ongoing displays throughout campus this week include The Clothesline Project, which features T-shirts made by Lane County sexual violence survivors in the EMU's concourse; posters regarding sexual violence prevention in the Buzz Art Gallery; and books at The Duck Store.
For more information on SVPW's calendar of events, pick up an information bag at the ASUO Women's Center on the ground floor of the EMU.
mobrien@dailyemerald.com
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