[Trigger Warning: Sexual Assault/Rape:] This Roundtable is be about sexual assault/violence awareness specifically on college campuses. We will be talking about statistics, how to handle *trigger warning* issues, and MAFA’s sexual harassment statement. Through this Roundtable, we aim to educate the MAFA community and spread sexual assault awareness due to prevalence and the susceptibility we face on college campuses.
To survivors in the community: We hear you. We see you. We believe you.
*Nondisclosure Agreement: This roundtable is not be used to expose people's stories with the topic. This is a safe space. The purpose of this roundtable is to discuss and bring awareness. Due to laws and policies with Sexual Assault/Violence, we warn participants to not disclose unauthorized confidential information. If you choose to participate, you agree to enter into a confidential relationship with respect to the disclosure of certain proprietary and confidential information.
Attendance
This round table discussion, I had the pleasure to work with an past MAFA board president and sexual assault advocate, Cat Taylo. With her guidance, we laid out a discussion that would bring about shared experiences, advocacy, and productive sexual violence communication. We had the pleasure of having Loyola, UW-Milwaukee, Wayne State, IUPUI, and Saint Louis University join in the conversation.
Roundtable Layout: Click Here
Live stream Link: Click Here
Notes
Definitions:
Body language
Feeling like you owe something to someone (no matter how long the relationship lasts), being afraid of saying no
Organizations/Support:
FASOU - Checking in on your friends, sharing at GBMs
SLU - released a Sexual Assault statement written by E-Board, Social Justice Chair did a workshop on resources both on and off campus, E-board minus president provides support, provide a trigger warning
Proactive leaders, looking at signs and being aware of emotions, provide support (utilizing resources and going with peers), don’t force something if you don’t want to go, be patient
WSU - mandatory external workshop, discussing what consent is, they know what to expect of each other and members
FSU - FACT informational meeting (behavior expectations and policies), stress community, directly addressing parties involved, supporting survivors
Giving Survivors a Voice
Workshops - shows this is a community that is willing to listen and want to hear them, “they won’t want to talk if we don’t want to listen”
Talk about it - don’t brush it aside
Survivors feel like they can’t talk about it
If you want to talk about it, ask if they are a mandated reporter
Not mandated: Therapist, counselors VS Mandated: professors, resident halls/dormitories
Closing Points:
Locker Room talk: “That’s not cool.”
Going to leaders who are comfortable with addressing comments
Reshaping communication about others
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