Take Back and Speak Up

By Mark Love ‘16

I have been receiving a stream of emails from the USC Department of Public Safety about sexual assaults occurring around Trojan parameters. These notifications have made its way in my inbox at least three times this month. I recall one incident in which one girl was ambushed as one guy restrained her arms while the other guy caressed her buttocks. Thankfully, none of the cases involved full-blown rape, but it is about time that students acknowledge this issue.

Ironically, the assaults occurred mere weeks before the annual Take Back the Night event held by the USC Women’s Student Assembly. The organization dedicates a week to help provide a safe haven for victims of sexual assault to share their stories. To commemorate the cause, sexual assault victims wrote about their personal experience with sexual violence on a colored T-shirt. Each color represents a different form of abuse. For example, the black T-shirt symbolizes stalking and sexual harassment while the red T-shirt represents rape and sexual assault. The seven-day affair focuses on other forms of abuse including incest, domestic violence, and child abuse. The beauty of this tactic is it gives victims the chance to express themselves anonymously while simultaneously connecting them together. They know that they are not alone. I mean, take a look at Alumni Park where numerous shirts hang with personal statements written on them.

I commend the Women’s Student Assembly for shedding light on a topic affects an astonishing amount of people, especially within college culture. Just last year, various news outlets published articles about the underreporting of sexual assault cases amongst college campuses. Unfortunately, USC was included in the list of universities that have done this. Nonetheless, I am proud for attending a university that allows students to acknowledge and express their personal experiences on such a taboo topic.