Speaker addresses myths

Photo by Ellie Spaulding

Students sport bright red "One in Four" shirts as part of "Take Back the Night Week."

"For me sexual violence is something that I talk about everyday," said Angie Strite during her 'Take Back the Night' chapel speech on Wednesday.

Strite is a prevention specialist with Citizens Against Sexual Assalt (CASA). During a chapel on Wednesday introducing Take Back the Night Week, she outlined some common myths about sexual assault. Date rape and acquaintance assault is usually forced by a friend or someone you know in a place familiar to you, Angie Strite told the audience.

Eighty percent of people who have been sexually assaulted have known or been familiar with the perpetrator. Many think it can't or won't happen here on EMU campus, or that it mainly happens to white women, or if it does happen it's the person's own fault for dressing provocatively and acting flirtatious. However, Strite said, sexual assault is really everywhere and can happen to all races and people of both genders even here on our own campus.

Strite, a 2002 psychology graduate of EMU now working for CASA, says her organization tries to break the silence and speak up. "Why don't we talk about this thing more often?" she asked. Her goal is to change people's attitudes about this whole subject and get them more comfortable with the fact that this is something that happens. Whether people report it or not, sexual violence is happening and students can at least acknowledge it and get people talking.

The week of Oct. 3 through 7 is Take Back the Night Week at Eastern Mennonite University. This week is dedicated to sexual awareness and many activities are held to honor the week and bring about awareness. At the beginning of the week T-shirts were handed out to represent how one in four women is assaulted. There were also events and activities held such as a movie called "Do The Right Thing," a coffee house in Common Grounds for people to share about their experiences and then a chapel on sexual assault.

At the end of chapel, Strite promoted a 24-hour hotline as well as their counseling services. She also encouraged everyone to talk about their experiences and suggested getting counseling at either EMU or CASA.