Administration is not doing enough: join our walkout

Dear Editor,

March 1 marks the beginning of Women’s History Month, which was first known as Women’s History Week. Created by former President Jimmy Carter, he cited that the work that women have put into our nation often goes unnoticed, and it was time to start recognizing the leadership, dedication and effort that women have put into the development of America.

The week leading up to the start of this year’s Women’s History Month, we had two large sexual assaults reported on campus, drawing statewide attention. The response students received from the administration as students was essentially, “don’t let people you don’t know into your building,” with a vague response about what was being done and no clarity about if the student (John Kocher) was still enrolled. This response not only doesn’t acknowledge the way that most sexual assault cases occur, by someone that you trust and know, and it also does little to change the culture on campus that this kind of behavior is acceptable.

However, the history with sexual assault and lack of change is not new to CSB+SJU. Some students will remember the Pat Hall incident in October of 2021, when some students on Patrick Hall floors one and two engaged in a “sex competition,” resulting in sexual misconduct and significant harm to students. Following the news of this incident, the IWL created a Students for Action Petition and led a sit-in at SJU to demand changes on campus. Thanks to their advocacy and students’ willingness to show up in support, CSB+SJU administration committed to following through on several important changes, including the “Safe Ride Home Program” for students who find themselves in an unsafe situation after the last bus has left campus, the reestablishment and envisioning of the Men’s Development Institute (now the Johnnie Development Institute), the addition of a new Title IX case manager, and two marketing campaigns aimed at educating the community. We know walkouts are an effective way to get the administrations’ attention.

Now, we are asking for that same energy from students. If this walkout seems inconvenient for your or your schedule, please remember that is the point. The point is to demonstrate and take a stance. The point is not to sit quietly by in the corner as the school publishes the same AI-generated messages with no accountability. Here is our chance to make a difference, and you can too.

Join us on Wednesday, March 11 at 12 p.m. on CSB campus to walk out of whatever you are engaging in, and join us in the common space between the library and Ardolf. We will have signs, good energy and a community that believes that it does not have to be this way. We will be walking out to demand a difference, and these are the changes we ask the administration to make:

Demands:

– At least ONE dedicated Title IX coordinator between the two campuses.

– Further RA training including mandatory Title IX, bystander intervention and safe space training.

– Require all Johnnie athletes, Residential Assistants and Senators to participate in Men as Peacemakers BEST curriculum

– Require security officers to offer rides back to Johnnies who miss the last Link bus in the evening

The point of this all is to emphasizethat this is not normal. Sexual assault on campus should not be normalized, minimized or ignored. Victims deserve more than weak messages blaming students who hold open doors. And this is all preventable. We are asking CSB+SJU to strengthen or create these programs and initiatives.

Sincerely,

Cecilia McNair, Grace Jesch and Graham Imholte

CSB junior, CSB senior and SJU senior