Tiffany Steinwert remembers from her adolescence being on a beach in Florida with her family, when two men started whistling and calling her names as she covered herself up with a blanket in embarrassment.

Steinwert told the crowd at Take Back the Night on Wednesday how her grandmother tried to comfort her by saying she experienced worse from the doctors in the hospital where she worked as a nurse. She told Steinwert that she would get used to it. That “this was just how things are.”

When Steinwert asked the crowd if this is how things really are, cries of protest rang out across the Quad from the approximately 1,500 people who gathered in front of Hendricks Chapel for the Take Back the Night rally at 7:30 p.m.

Take Back the Night is an international annual event where people speak out against interpersonal violence, especially sexual violence. The night’s events included speeches on the steps of Hendricks, a march to Marshall Street and a speak-out inside the chapel, which was closed to the media to create a safe space. The main theme of the night was breaking the silence that often surrounds sexual violence.

Steinwert, the new dean of Hendricks Chapel and the keynote speaker, spoke about how the abuse of women should not be accepted as “just how things really are,” but should instead be challenged so women do not have to put up with cat calls and abuse.

In the United States, one out of every three women and one out of every five men will be affected by sexual violence, she said.

Chancellor Nancy Cantor also spoke at the rally about the need to speak up for those who are silent.

“Tonight is not just about breaking the silence, but creating a caring community that listens when silence ends,” she said. “We all need it. We’re all vulnerable. We’re going to come out holding hands, showing we care.”

Doug Marrone, the head football coach for SU, also spoke at Hendricks Chapel. He focused on the importance of men speaking out and teaching younger men to do the same.

With about a third of the Quad filled with students, Omékongo, a motivational speaker, read a poem about giving a voice to the women in the Congo who daily experience sexual violence such as rape and are forgotten. He talked about the violence and hatred women in all cultures still experience, including the United States.

“Violence against women and hatred against women comes in many forms,” he said.

Some examples he gave were rap videos that show poor treatment of women, the criticism Hilary Clinton and Sarah Palin received in the 2008 election, and the misogynistic jokes people make.

He encouraged people to recognize that this behavior is wrong and to not only take back the night, but the day as well.

After the speeches, at around 8:10 p.m., the crowd, made up of greek organizations, student organizations, athletes, individuals, community members, faculty and staff, began the march from Hendricks down to Marshall Street and back up to the Quad.

Claudia Ferguson, a senior biochemistry major, has come every year since she was a freshman. But she said she attended the speak-out portion of the night for the first time this year to better understand the abuse some women face.

Ferguson said, for her, the night is about recognizing abuse against women and taking charge. Although she does not come with a group, she keeps coming back because she enjoys it, she said.

“I have fun, and it’s nice to see so many people of different backgrounds come out for the same cause,” she said.

Mike Passalacqua, a sophomore mechanical engineering major who was there with A Men’s Issue, a student group that explores masculinity and sexual violence, for the second time, said he thought it was important to have men at the rally. Many universities, excluding SU, do not allow men to attend their Take Back the Night events.

“A lot of blame is usually put on women,” he said. “It’s good to have so many guys that show they are here for them. I’m glad to be a part of it.”

Steinwert, the keynote speaker, compared the hundreds of students at SU’s rally with the ‘handful of women’ at the rally at her school when she was in college. She was almost moved to tears at the amount of support there.

“Look around,” she yelled. “Stranger. Friend. Tonight, we stand united to shatter the silence to stop the violence.”

 

Published on April 14, 2010 at 12:00 pm