3rd Annual Grinnell College Sexual Assault Awareness Week
The Third Annual Grinnell College Sexual Assault Awareness Week, April 15 - April 18, is presented by Advocates, Real Men, and the Feminist Action Coalition, with support from All Campus Events; the Center for Religion, Spirituality and Social Justice; Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies; Peace & Conflict Studies; the Office of the Title IX Coordinator; and the Student Athletic Advisory Committee.
Tuesday-Thursday
Tabling by members of Grinnell Advocates, lunch and dinnertime, outside the Marketplace dining hall:
- Pick up a bracelet,
- Sign-up for advocate training,
- Obtain information on sexual assault and response on college campuses,
- Learn about Crisis Intervention Services and local efforts to combat sexual assault and partner violence, and
- Get a t-shirt to be part of the “1 in 4” campus-wide demonstration on Friday.
Tuesday April 15
The Clothesline Project, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m., Joe Rosenfield ’25 Center Courtyard
The Clothesline Project addresses the issue of violence against women. It is a vehicle for people directly or indirectly affected by violence to express their emotions by decorating a shirt. The shirts will then be hung on a clothesline to be viewed by others as a testimony to the problem of violence against women. Show your support by painting a t-shirt before or after dinner on Tuesday night.
Panel, 8 p.m., Rosenfield Center Room 101
What does consent mean to you? What is sexual assault? What is Grinnell College doing to address causes, culture and responses surrounding sexual assault, in light of the “Dear Colleague” letter, Amherst, and the Campus SaVE Act?
Panelists Tess Cody (Crisis Intervention Services, partner of Grinnell Advocates), Harriett Dickey-Chasins (SHACS), Angela Voos (Title IX Coordinator), Travis Greene (Dean of Students) and Steve Briscoe (Campus Security) will respond to questions concerning Grinnell College policy concerning and responses to sexual assault, in a conversation facilitated by Samantha Pilicer and Chris Marsho.
As consent is an important aspect in every relationship, all Grinnellians are strongly encouraged to attend. Because personal experiences may be shared, sexual assault survivor/victims might be triggered.
Refreshments will be provided.
Wednesday April 16
Rus Funk: Working Together to End Sexual Assault and Violence, 8 p.m., Rosenfield Center Room 101
Rus Funk, co-founder and Executive Director of MensWork: eliminating violence against women, inc, will take us through a journey of how interest in community activism has led to a life devoted to activism on behalf of gender, racial, and sexual justice.
As a pioneer in efforts to educate and inspire men to understand their responsibilities and roles in helping prevent sexual assault and violence, Rus is well positioned to place this movement within the larger context of collaborative activism, advocacy, and prevention by people of all genders and sexual orientations. Rus has worked to combat sexual and domestic violence, racist violence and homophobia for many years, founding grass-roots efforts and organizations all over the US. Rus is an internationally recognized consultant, sought after speaker and trainer, and currently the Secretary of the Board of Directors of the National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence.
Refreshments will be served.
Thursday April 17
Movie Showing: No! The Rape Documentary, 4:30 p.m., ARH Room 102
No! The Rape Documentary is a film produced, written and directed by Aishah Shahidah Simmons, herself an incest and rape survivor, to raise “awareness about rape, sexual assault, and other forms of violence against women, and the critical non-negotiable need to end it.”
Concerning this documentary, which has won world-wide acclaim and been subtitled into many languages, one critic writes, “Simmons confronts the scourge of racial, gender, and sexual oppression, and its violent manifestations. [She] put together a film that utilizes individual testimonials, scholarship, spirituality, activism, and culture to bring the reality of rape and other forms of sexual and physical abuse to the forefront of public conversation."
All are welcome, refreshments will be provided.
Angela Rose, “Shattering the Silence of Sexual Violence”, 8 p.m., Rosenfield Center Room 101
Angela Rose is a national leader in the movement to shatter the silence of sexual violence.
At the age of 17, she was abducted at knife point, assaulted by a repeat sex-offender and murderer, and released. Angela responded to this experience and subsequent victimization by authorities by turning to advocacy and activism, helping to enact the Illinois’ Sexually Dangerous Persons Commitment Act in 1998, and founding the organization PAVE: Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment. Angela’s presentation draws on her own experience with sexual violence, but acknowledges that far more often victims know their perpetrator.
While helping students dispels myths and discussing the role of alcohol in sexual violence, Angela focuses on how men and women can mutually be part of the solution, empowering audiences to make changes in their communities.
Friday April 18
One in Four, All Day, Campus-wide event
“One in Four” is a project addressing the prevalence of sexual assault in our society. Approximately 25% of college-aged females will experience sexual assault before they graduate. On this day, one fourth of the students on campus will be wearing teal shirts.
This visual display of the “one in four” statistic provides an opportunity for all community members, regardless of gender, to experience what being one in four looks like on a college campus.
Each student wearing a teal shirt will have a card with a specific statistic pertinent to sexual assault. We invite students, faculty, and staff to join the conversation by asking these individuals about the card they hold.