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LOCAL News :: Women's Issues
Update: DePaul students stage 28-hour Sit-Out, Receive Some Demands
Author
- amc
Date Created
- 25 May 2007
Date Edited
- 25 May 2007 03:26:49 PM
Rating
- Current rating: 6
License
This work is in the public domain.
DePaul student activists were victorious in their sit-out for sexual assault resources, which lasted 28 hours, with over 30 students camping out in front of the Lincoln Park campus’s Student Center overnight! Protesting the university’s persistent refusal to build infrastructure to combat rape and domestic intimate partner violence, the sit-out began Wednesday morning and continued until Thursday afternoon, after a meeting with DePaul bureaucrat Vice President of Student Affairs Jim Doyle. DePaul administration has made a verbal agreement to create a coordinator position for sexual assault and dating violence and to re-evaluate training of campus security and university staff.
Initially during the protest, Jim Doyle called and said that he thought the resources DePaul offered were adequate, and they just needed better education and awareness. Hundreds of students who came to sit-out throughout the day, plus 300+ letter-writing campaign, demonstrated that they are not enough.
The demonstration was widely supported among the DePaul community, with several workers, professors and departments urging students to join or offering food and supplies.
Student activists distributed over 1,000 flyers with information about the urgent need for improves sexual assault resources on campus, and engaged hundreds of students and community members in dialogue about the issue.
Some students took shifts participating in the sit-out, while many participated for the whole 28 hours!
Some conflicts arose late at night as drunken (DePaul) frat-boys emerged from local closing bars, including harassment and pushing one protestor, but the conflict ended before it could escalate, and campus Public Safety was cooperative in responding to this as well as supporting the protestors’ decision to sit-out overnight.
Although the administration has met some student demands, it is important to continue to hold them accountable for their decisions! Another meeting is scheduled for next Wednesday, where administrators, including Jim Doyle, will present their proposals for implementation. If they go back on their word, students will protest again, and continue until positive change has been made!
Please show your support for this important issue by calling President Holtschneider 312 362 8890 and telling him that you want better resources for survivors of sexual assault at DePaul!
Initially during the protest, Jim Doyle called and said that he thought the resources DePaul offered were adequate, and they just needed better education and awareness. Hundreds of students who came to sit-out throughout the day, plus 300+ letter-writing campaign, demonstrated that they are not enough.
The demonstration was widely supported among the DePaul community, with several workers, professors and departments urging students to join or offering food and supplies.
Student activists distributed over 1,000 flyers with information about the urgent need for improves sexual assault resources on campus, and engaged hundreds of students and community members in dialogue about the issue.
Some students took shifts participating in the sit-out, while many participated for the whole 28 hours!
Some conflicts arose late at night as drunken (DePaul) frat-boys emerged from local closing bars, including harassment and pushing one protestor, but the conflict ended before it could escalate, and campus Public Safety was cooperative in responding to this as well as supporting the protestors’ decision to sit-out overnight.
Although the administration has met some student demands, it is important to continue to hold them accountable for their decisions! Another meeting is scheduled for next Wednesday, where administrators, including Jim Doyle, will present their proposals for implementation. If they go back on their word, students will protest again, and continue until positive change has been made!
Please show your support for this important issue by calling President Holtschneider 312 362 8890 and telling him that you want better resources for survivors of sexual assault at DePaul!
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Comments
Re: Update: DePaul students stage 28-hour Sit-Out, Receive Some Demands
26 May 2007
Text by Fatima Arain
Studies have shown that between 1/6 - 1/4 of college aged women has been a victim of sexual assault during their college years. DePaul is not immune!
There are ZERO resources at DePaul exclusively for sexual assault survivors on campus. UIC has an entire center and Loyola has a coordinator and a peer education and training program.
A few years ago, concerned students submitted a proposal to get a Sexual Assault/Intimate Partner Violence Coordinator hired. Instead, a taskforce that has met only ONCE this year was created. The proposal was resubmitted last year, and largely ignored.
RISE was created last year to create awareness about sexual assault on campus. We created an extensive website as a basic resource for students, conduct workshops for dorms, fraternities, and classes, and have met with many administrators to talk about the issue. Our latest attempt to convince the University of the severity of this issue was a letter campaign in which 300 letters from students and faculty were sent to the President, asking for a resource coordinator position to be created.
We cannot be patient for much longer. We are holding a sit-in, and the more people that attend, the more powerful message we will send to the University.
Be a part of the change and help us make a real and significant difference at DePaul.
After the Sit-Out:
I want to congratulate everyone on a doing a really great job at the sit-in on Wednesday [May 23, 2007] and Thursday!
Thanks to all of you, we passed out over 1200 flyers, camped out in front of the student center all night, talked to countless students, faculty, admin, and community members, and gave voice to survivors of sexual assault on campus! In 28 hours, we educated SO many people about this important issue Thank you!!
We also met with Jim Doyle, VP of Student Affairs, and Cindy Summers. Jim Doyle promised us that this issue would be resolved by June 15th at the latest. Cindy Summers gave us a verbal agreement of figuring out a way to create a sexual assault resource coordinator position. Although we did not get EXACTLY what we wanted on Thursday, we are well on our way!!!
We are meeting with Jim Doyle and Cindy Summers once again on Wednesday, May 30 to discuss the issue further. I will keep everyone posted on what comes of this meeting. Thanks again everyone!!!! You are all a part of making DePaul a safer environment for everyone!
(please forward this along so people can be aware of whats going on!! THANKS!!!)