Take Back the Night, an event yesterday evening organized by Tufts Panhellenic Council, aimed to raise awareness about sexual violence through a series of speeches, testimonials and musical performances on the Tisch Library roof.
The event, which drew a crowd of around 200, featured speeches by Violence Prevention Education Coordinator Elaine Theodore, representatives from the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center (BARCC) and testimonials from Tufts and non-Tufts students.
"Our goal is to create a healthier sexual environment," Director of Marketing for the Pahellenic Council Ally Abouzahr, a sophomore, said. "The rate [of sexual assault] is highest in our age group, especially among freshmen," she said.
Take Back the Night is a nonprofit organization that strives to eliminate sexual violence and offer support to survivors. The group supports the organization of marches and rallies to raise awareness about sexual violence, and events take place on college campuses around the world.
In a speech kicking off the event, Theodore explained that Take Back the Night events are traditionally held in autumn.
"The first six weeks of school, until Thanksgiving vacation, is actually the most vulnerable time for first-year women in their entire college career," she said.
Theodore engaged the crowd with an interactive hand-raising activity designed to gauge how many students knew someone who had been exposed to some form of sexual violence. She then opened the floor to students to speak about their experiences, either personal or of friends and family, with sexual violence.
Two spokespeople from BARCC described the sexual assault services available to Tufts students, including legal advocacy and rape kits. They emphasized that all services are free and confidential.
According to a spokesperson for BARCC, there are about 35 incidences of rape per 1,000 students in the United States each academic year. At Tufts, that would mean between 70 and 100 students are raped each year.
A non-Tufts student described her experience being sexually assaulted and used by her boyfriend.
"It's not just the people driving by at 3 a.m., and it's not just the people you meet at a party … it could be anyone," she said.
Sexual violence can take many forms and be perpetrated by many types of people, Theodore noted.
She added, however, "For the most part, students are assaulted by people they know."
Theodore noted that many perpetrators are repeat-offenders.
"On college campuses, a very small number of male perpetrators perpetrate the assaults," she said. "They do it again and again and again."
The evening concluded with musical performances by a cappella groups Essence and S-Factor.
Abouzahr said the Panhellenic Council tried this year to encourage additional male participation in the event, which has traditionally been more geared toward a female audience.
"We think it's important because though males are usually aggressors, they can still be involved," she said.
Panhellenic Council President Gianna Wilkie, a senior, was pleased with the event overall, and she noted it had managed this year to attract a diverse crowd of non-Greek affiliated students.
"We really wanted to reach out to non-Greek organizations … I saw a lot of familiar faces, but also a lot of other ones, so that was really exciting," Wilkie said.
