As April comes to an end, Columbia continues to observe Sexual Assault Awareness Month through events and initiatives focused on education and support. Designated nationally in 2001, this month serves as a reminder of the ongoing efforts needed to address and prevent sexual assault.
Throughout the month, the Sexual Assault Awareness Education Committee held various events including a self-defense workshop, art gallery and movie screening, along with observing national Denim Day on Wednesday, April 30. SAAEC collaborated with the Title IX and the Office of Student Diversity and Inclusion offices to carry out these initiatives.
Chaselyn Lewis, the Title IX Investigator, who is also on the SAAEC board, said she hopes for continued collaboration to better support students.
“My strategy as a whole is to increase overall awareness and education surrounding the topic. The more that we talk about it will increase the reporting and people can get the assistance that they need,” Lewis said. “Sometimes people may not understand exactly what sexual assault is, and so they are sometimes in very compromising and sticky situations.”
Title IX Coordinator and Director of Equity Issues Neil Callicoat said the office oversees a number of policies — primarily the Title IX policy, the sexual misconduct policy and the anti-harassment and discrimination policy.
“We work to help students who have been the victim of or accused of things that fall under those policies, which are going to be things like sexual assault, rape, dating violence, but also harassment and discrimination on things including gender or really anything else, religion, ethnicity, race,” Callicoat said.
Callicoat said that as with standard presidential transitions, many changes were made to Title IX between the former President Joe Biden’s administration and that of President Donald Trump’s administration. One such change was that sexual assault occuring outside of campus was no longer considered within the scope of Title IX.
“Columbia still feels like that’s something we should be able to address, if it is going to be affecting the classroom, it’s going to be affecting the students,” Callicoat said. “The Student Sexual Misconduct policy, which is separate from the Title IX policy, is there to address issues that do not fall within the specific definitions of Title IX that we have to have by law.”
SAAEC also receives active support from the SDI office, Charee Mosby-Holloway, the director of SDI and a confidential advisor said.
As a confidential advisor, Mosby-Holloway said her responsibility is to stay informed on effective practices while prioritizing the well-being of students in every interaction. Unlike most staff and faculty, she is not obligated to report instances of sexual discrimination to the Title IX Coordinator.
“My goal is always to create a space where students feel heard, respected and empowered to access the information and support they need and deserve,” Mosby-Holloway said, further emphasizing that students can reach out to her whenever they need assistance.
As part of the monthlong events, the gallery “Voices Against Injustice” was hosted at the 624 S. Michigan Ave. building to explore resilience and truth through the lens of those impacted by acts of injustice. A Chronicle reporter attended their opening night on April 16, but no one from the SAAEC or Title IX office was present.
Sophie Romney, a first-year music major, shared that her poem “I Knew the Grass Was Green” was inspired by her own experience of being sexually assaulted. She hoped to raise awareness and relief on campus, especially as she experienced isolated feelings.
“I hope people understand how serious sexual assault is. It’s not funny, it should never be a joke and it seriously affects people’s lives,” Romney said. “I hope my piece in the gallery can shed light on the issue and understand that a no is a no. A pressured or reluctant yes is a no. And consent can change.”
On one of the gray walls, Michele d’Alessandro, a junior photography major, displayed a four-photograph self-portrait piece with hands over him, titled “To Shed Light.”
“Each fragment is still painful to remember but together more fragments make a full picture, full memory. It’s time to not feel alone,” d’Alessandro said.
During this month, students also received emails inviting them to participate in “We Need Your Voice: Sexual Misconduct and Campus Climate Survey,” an anonymous survey created by the state of Illinois to gather insights for improving campus safety.
Margarete Noonnan, sophomore English major and SAAEC member, said she hopes that campus events will not only raise awareness but also spark broader conversations.
“I think the only signage outside of SAAEC that I’ve seen was basically a call for stories, like a survey about sexual assault. I don’t think that’s the best thing to advertise or to ask students without having more of a support system on campus. It just seemed kind of insensitive to me,” said Noonnan.
While Noonnan highlighted the need for better support systems, Columbia does offer several resources for students affected by sexual assault.
Students have several options for reporting sexual assault: visiting the Title IX office at 623 S. Wabash Ave., calling the office, sending an email or submitting an anonymous report on the Title IX website.
When it comes to supporting one another more closely on campus, Callicoat offered advice.
“A simple ‘How can I help?’ can be very strong and important. You don’t need to be a detective and start asking questions,” Callicoat said, “Sometimes that might be helping that person get in contact with the resources that can help them, whether that’s my office, whether that’s the Chicago Police Department, whether that’s an outside agency.”
Copy edited by Trinity Balboa
Resumen en Español:
A medida que abril llega a su fin, Columbia continúa observando el Mes de Concientización sobre la Agresión Sexual a través de eventos e iniciativas destinadas a la educación y la prevención.
Designado a nivel nacional en 2001, este mes sirve como un recordatorio de los esfuerzos continuos necesarios para abordar y prevenir la agresión sexual. A lo largo del mes, el Comité de Educación para la Concientización sobre la Agresión Sexual llevó a cabo varios eventos, incluido un taller de defensa personal, una galería de arte y la proyección de películas, además de observar el Día Nacional de la Mezclilla el miércoles, 30 de abril.
SAAEC colaboró con el Título IX y las oficinas de la Oficina de Diversidad e Inclusión Estudiantil para llevar a cabo estas iniciativas.
Resumen en Español por Araceli Ramirez
