Page 4A - Monday, November 24, 2014

The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom

Page 4A - Monday, November 24, 2014 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom

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I hIr icIipan Dail
Edited and managed by students at
the University of Michigan since 1890.
420 Maynard St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
tothedaily@tnichigandaily.com
MEGAN MCDONALD
PETER SHAHIN and DANIEL WANG KATIE BURKE
EDITOR IN CHIEF EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS MANAGING EDITOR
Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily's editorial board.
All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.
FROM THE DAILY
Drinking in the open
A more accepting approach is needed to combat alcohol abuse.
In an effort to curb drinking on campus, this year the
University shortened Welcome Week. The University's
Division of Public Safety and Security's improving
statistics show promise but also raise concerns about the way the
institution handles drinking. This year's condensed Welcome
Week saw a decrease in alcohol-related ambulance requests
to University Housing and alcohol-related visits to University
Emergency Departments, suggesting an improvement over last
year. However, there was a sizable uptick of emergencycalls from
student housing off-campus. This inverse relationship suggests
that while the University has curbed on-campus drinking,
off-campus drinking has only worsened or faced increased
enforcement. Thus in order to have a safer drinking culture on
and off campus, the University must look to other options for
controlling drinking rather than on-campus enforcement.
The efforts to tone down Welcome Week Thirty-two institutions have participated in
broughtabout anincreaseofminorinpossession the program thus far, including several with
tickets,whichusuallycarrywiththemhundreds higher enrollment than the University. A
of dollars in fines and a probation period. The similar practice is having students that are
University's response to the drinking culture heavy drinkers talk privately with a medical
on campus has mostly been granting additional professional about their drinking habits.
funds to bolster enforcement and attempting These educational approaches shift the
to educate new students. The shift of drinking conversation from normative right and wrong
incidents from University facilities to less- to realizing the actual effects of the drinking
controlled off-campus housing indicates that and could remove the glamour of partying.
the University's efforts might not actually be Stanford combines an "open-door" policy
benefitting students, but driving them into even that keeps drinking safe and manageable
more unsafe drinking environments. for resident advisors and other staff, a party
The risk of relying on punishment to curtail registration system that allows campus
the University's drinking culture is that this security to look out for student safety and a
might push the culture "underground;" it's three-hour online alcohol education course to
unlikely that college students will simply ensure that students do not hide drinking by
stop drinking just because the University doing it in unsafe environments. Rather than
strengthens its enforcement. It's more likely allowing their fraternities to host gameday
that they will drink in environments that tailgates at off-campus houses, Indiana
cannot be as easily monitored, as was seen University has them reserve designated
this Welcome Week, thus putting them at lots in a field near their stadium. Limits on
greater risk. This approach also puts the the size of the lots allow authorities to keep
futures of many capable students in jeopardy parties from getting out of hand and provide
by pushing them into the criminal justice easy assistance in case of an emergency.
system. Grant money could be better spent Encouraging openness reduces the chances
finding ways to keep students safe without that students end up in situations where
additional adverse effects. they can't get the help they need, which is
Other schools have succeeded in taking ultimately every university's goal.
responsibility for the drinking culture at their The University's legacy for academic and
school rather than throwing money at it. One athletic excellence has garnered international
of the most successful models is the National recognition. University President Mark
College Health Improvement Program, Schlissel's aim to protect our reputation
which has been gaining traction across the and our peers comes at a crucial time in
country. This program was developed at determining the institution's legacy, but
Dartmouth and focuses not on preaching the students must be given the right incentives
dangers of alcohol but rather use one-on-one for this to happen. An approach of openness
motivational interventions that attempt to and comprehensive education offers the
improve students' lives by identifying and University the opportunity to shape the
reducing the negative effects of alcohol's. futures of Wolverines for years to come.
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS
Edvinas Berzanskis, Devin Eggert, David Harris,

Rachel John, Jordyn Kay, Jesse Klein, Aarica Marsh,
Megan McDonald, Victoria Noble, Michael Paul,
Allison Raeck, Melissa Scholke, Michael Schramm,
Matthew Seligman, Mary Kate Winn,
Jenny Wang, Daniel Wang, Derek Wolfe
ENJOY A GOOD ARGUMENT? LIKE CURRENT
EVENTS? POLITICS? MICHIGAN?
Check out The Michigan Daily's editorial board meetings.
Every Sunday and Wednesday at 6 p.m., the Daily's
opinion staff meets to discuss both University
and national affairs and write editorials.
E-mail opinioneditors@michigandaily.com to join in the debate.
At UVA, rapes are kept quiet, both by
students - who brush off sexual assaults as
regrettable but inevitable casualties of their
cherished party culture... "
- Sabrina Rudin Erdely wrote in her article in Rolling Stone,
"A Rape on Campus: A Brutal Assault for Struggle and Justice at UVA" about a
sexual assault situation at the University of Virginia

Sexual assault andfame

He was a rising star when
it happened the first
time. When it happened
again, his fame
and power had
only grown. The
more he did it, it
seemed, the more
he was propelled
into the strato-
sphere. Maybe ?
it was an addic-
tion. Maybe he
thought it made JAMES
him successful. BRENNAN
Maybe he was a
rich, successful
man who thought
the world owed him everything.
We've known about this for a long
time. It's been the butt of jokes and
discussed in depth on news shows.
But it disappeared. We forgot, and
we did so willfully. "The court case
was settled!" we shouted, as if that
gives us justification to consider him
innocent. His lawyers and his money
took the accusations of rape out of
court, but it was us who took them
out of our minds and conversations.
I" the court of public opinion, we
threw in the towel.
But why? We care about women.
We care about rape and sexual
assault. We care about justice
that is both equal and blind. His
power shouldn't matter. Our
adoration of-what he has given us
shouldn't matter.
But these things did matter. The
journalists wanted to keep their jobs
and avoidbeingshutout, sotheytook
aback seat to power. His fans couldn't
imagine him being so perverse, so
they labeled accusers opportunists.

And we all played along.
He's a powerful man, but more
importantly, he's our powerful
man. An indictment of him means
an indictment of ourselves. It was
us who held him in reverence, who
propelled him to his fame and
influence. He sold us an idea that
we all bought into, and he did it over
and over again. All the while, he was
ruiningthe livesofyoungwomen. He
was putting his wife through hell. He
was agod to us, and a demon to them.
Maybe we let it all go because he
left the limelight. He focused on
his family. Wrote books and gave
speeches. Did philanthropy and
mentored entire communities.
But he couldn't stay away from the
fame. He couldn't leave the bright
lights and the cameras, and we were
happytowelcome him back.
Our icon.
Ourhero.
He's old school, but his words and
his work cut across all ages, all races,
all demographics. He unites people.
There were grumblings about his
dark, degenerate past. But we adore
him so much. He's given us so much.
How can we take these accusations
seriously?
We can't, and we didn't. We could
forgive his shortcomings, even
admitted marital infidelity.
"No one is perfect!"
"We all make mistakes!"
"He came clean in the end, after
all!"
His wife forgave him, and we
welcomed him with open arms. He
made some bad decisions, he hurt
people around him. But who among
us hasn't? After all that we've shared
with him, well - he's pretty much

family. We can forgive and we can
forget.
But rape - that is something we
cannot forgive.
Hisvictims - they are people who
cannot forget.
Sexual violence penetrates deep
into a person's psyche, and seeing
their assaulter may forever trigger
pain. Their assaulter is on TV con-
stantly. People applaud for him. They
hold him up as a man to be admired..
He's beloved.
How can they live like that? How
can he live like that?
Howhavewe letthemgo on?
Well, maybe we're about to
finally do something. Times have
changed, and this cannot be kept
quiet any longer. Women are tak-
ing back their agency, but survivors
have tried before. This isn't just
about them. This isn't about a take-
down of someone famous. This is
about all of us, and the guilt we all
carry by way of silence. We refused
to speak up. We refused to hold
this man accountable. We refused
to hold ourselves accountable for
falling under his spell.
We can't abdicate our responsibil-
ity again, and neither can he. Maybe
he will quit this facade of perfection
that enchants his followers. Maybe
he will succumb to the strict stan-
dard society has refused to enforce.
Maybe as he has watched Bill
Cosby collapse and refuse to answer
allegations, he will do the opposite
and hold himself responsible.
Or maybe we'll have to slaughter
sacred cattle ourselves.
- James Brennan can be reached
at jmbthree@umich.edu.

SEXUAL ASSAULT PREVENTION AND AWARENESS CENTER IEI
An open letter from SAPAC

I

Trigger warning: this open
letter addresses issues of sexual
violence. Should you feel triggered
by the content of this letter, or the
circumstances surrounding its
publication, please do not hesitate to
reach out to an advocate at theSexual
Assault Prevention and Awareness
Center, or to utilize SAPAC's 24-hour
crisis line at1(734) 963-3333.
This letter is addressed to
survivors of sexual violence on this
campus - to those of you who chose
to share the most vulnerable parts of
yourselves at last week's Speak Out,
and to those of you whose process
may not have brought you there yet,
but who did the incredible work
of bearing witness to each other's
stories.
Before we address our reasons
for writing this letter, let us first
take a moment to acknowledge your
incredible strength. You perform
an extraordinarily powerful act of
rebellion every second you survive
on this earth and on this campus. We
say this not to patronize you, or to
minimize your struggle or your hurt,
but because we genuinely believe
that survivors are among some of the
strongest, most resilient people -
while the wind is constantly against
you, you continue to stand tall.
As student staff and volunteers at
SAPAC, we are in continuous awe of
your fortitude.
Nov. 11 marked SAPAC's 28th
annual survivor Speak Out, an
event that was meant to serve as a
safe, confidential space for sharing,
healingandgrowth.Onacampusthat
so often drowns out the voices and
wishesofsurvivorsofsexualviolence
-yourvoices -withacademicjargon
and incomprehensible discourse that
can distract the community from the
core problems of sexual violence,
Speak Out aims to create a space that
is meant solely for you. Speak Out is
clearly defined as a space where the
confidentiality of your stories and
identities are respected, and where
your narrative and experiential
knowledge are trusted absolutely.
Speak Out should be a space where
you are listened to, believed,
validated, supported, and above all,
respected. Unfortunately, some of
the attendees of this year's Speak
Out chose to violate your safety and
confidentiality in the moment and in
days following.
During the Speak Out, organizers
affiliated with the group BAMN: By
Any Means Necessary, a self-defined
civilrights group on campus,violated
your safetyby co-optingthe space for
theirown andusingwhatwas intend-
ed to be a survivor forum to instead
advertise for an upcoming demon-
stration and otherwise promote their
own organization. In the last few
days,it has also come to our attention
that members of BAMN have been
speaking in classes and, while simi-
larly promoting anupcomingdemon-
stration, have been retelling stories

shared at Speak Out without the con-
sent or knowledge of survivors. Not
only is this an inappropriate violation
of the terms of confidentiality agreed
upon at the Speak Out, but it is also
a gross transgression against those
of you who shared your stories with
the belief that your experience would
be held confidential. Stealing these
stories from you, robbing you of the
ownership of your own experience,
is reprehensible and once again takes
power to make decisions about your
experience out of your hands. As
SAPAC volunteers, we stand firmly
against these deplorable actions, and
are absolutely devastated that a space
we worked so hardto make asafe one
was abused in this way. Please know
that we have taken action to stop the
spread of stories, and are continuing
to work to ensure your safety and
confidentiality. As members of an
organization advocating for justice
on structural, institutional, indi-
vidual and interpersonal levels, we
unequivocally support all movement
toward civil progress, toward a safer
and less hostile campus community
for students of marginalized race,
gender, class, sexuality, ability status
-or other identity. What we cannot
and will not allow is for an organi-
zation to exploit your stories, your
experiences or your shared vulner-
ability in the process. By treating you
and your stories as no more than a
means to a political end, BAMN has
demonstrated, flat out, that it does
not respect you or your experiences.
At SAPAC, we believe that as a
survivoryouhavetherighttotellyour
story when, where, and to whom you
wantasameasureofregainingpower
and control inwhatcan often feel like
an uncontrollable situation. We want
you to be able to share your stories
in any and every space in which you
feel comfortable, and we strive in
our work as SAPAC volunteers to
create and maintain as many such
spaces as possible. To that end, we
invoke the absolutely imperative
adherence to confidentiality not to
further silence you, but to preserve
your right to share your story on
your own terms. We do not, by any
means, claim that creating these
spaces is enough, or that our work
ends there. There is so much more
work to be done around the issues of
sexual violence in regards to policy,
education, prevention and survivor
support. However, this was not the
goal or focus of the Speak Out, and
survivors who attended the event
were not necessarily attending with
the knowledge or intention that your
stories would be used in a context
of political action. As a survivor,
you should not be expected to bear
the burden of doing that work. You
deserve spaces in which you can
simply exist, as your whole self, with
the full truth of your experience.
We recognize and affirm that all
survivors may not be at a place in
their recovery where it is physically

and/or emotionally safe, comfortable
or possible for you to do change-
making work. This is what we at
SAPAC envision to be our role in this
movement -to advocate for and with
survivors, so that the heavy burden of
change does not always rest solely on
your shoulders, when you are already
carrying so much weight.
Overall,we want to apologize to
you from the sincerest place irs our
hearts for this abhorrent violation
of your trust and privacy. However,
despite the sadness and frustration
we feel over what has transpired,
we want to once again thank each
and every one of you who attended
the Speak Out and shared your
stories with us, as well as those of
you who could not or did not share,
but contributed your energy and
your presence to the space. We hope
that you still view Speak Out as a
place where you can come to share
your story and to find support from
a community that can often feeling
alienating. While we cannot undo
the hurt that has been caused by
BAMN's actions, we are - both as
individuals and as an organization
- committed to creating and
sustaining spaces that allow you
to process, heal and grow in your
own time and on your own terms.
We want to continue to affirm
and support you, your existence,
your process and your individual
experience as you traverse this
issue - and we want you to know
that you do not have to do it alone.
We will be here, if and when you
need us, every step of the way.
In Solidarity,
SAPAC Student staff and
Volunteers
The University Sexual Assault Pre-
vention and Awareness Center offers
a variety of support and resources for
survivors of sexual violence on cam-
pus, including personal and academic
advocacy, connection to resources,
help in navigating institutional policy
and more. The SAPAC office is located
at 2450 North Quad, and office hours
are 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday - Friday.
SAPAChostsapeer-ledsupportgroup,
which meets every Wednesday night 7
p.m.-8:30 p.m. in the SAPAC office.
Our24-hour crisis line (734-963-3333)
is available at all timesfor those in need
of immediate assistance. For more
information visit sapac.umich.edu, or
do not hesitate to contact our office at
(734) 764-7771. If you should feel the
need to report an incident, please con-
tact our Title IX Coordinator,Anthony
Walesby; he can be reached at wales-
by@umich.edu. You can also contact
his office, the Office for Institution-
al Equity, at (734) 763-0235, or at
hr.umich.edu/oie/office.html. You can
also contact the University's Police
Department by calling (734) 763-1131
or texting 377911. In an emergency,
call91.
This viewpoint was written by
Student Staff and Volunteers of SAPAC.

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