It comes as no surprise that sexual violence is a problem on a campus as large as UW. It’s a topic that not many people want to talk about, but one that many are worried about bringing up. And then there is Anders Kristensen: a senior from Denmark who is trying to change this. As if majoring in Political Science and playing for the UW Men’s Soccer team isn’t enough to keep him busy, he is also the president of a brand new org called We’re Better Than That-Men Against Sexual Assault.
Can you explain to us what We’re Better Than That is?
We’re Better Than That is a student org that started last semester. The main goal is to try to engage men in the discussion of sexual violence and change they way of dealing with the issue. More often than not this conversation is geared towards women as the potential victim, where as this org is trying to gear the conversation towards men as the potential assaulter and put an end to it.
What made you decide to get involved in We’re Better Than That?
Following news from campus and just in general empowered me to take on this org. There aren’t a ton of men out there that are speaking up against sexual violence and working to stop it, and we thinks that needs to change.
What is the most rewarding part of being in this org?
WBTT has received so much positive feedback from both men and women. The response has been incredible. It’s been rewarding to watch so many people working towards the same goal.
How can others get involved?
On the first Tuesday of every month there is a general meeting open to the public in Grainger Hall. Both genders are welcome. The mission is to engage men, but we’d love for both genders to be involved.
What have some major accomplishments of We’re Better Than That been?
The Association of American Universities conduct a survey on sexual assault and misconduct on college campuses as a way to provide information on policies to prevent and deal with sexual assault and misconduct. WBTT had the opportunity to host the head of the survey, who led a talk and discussion about the results of our school’s results.
What do you hope to accomplish in your time as president?
Anders hopes to set up partnerships with Greek life and athletics on campus to promote their org and the prevention of sexual violence. He hopes to raise a general awareness of the high number of assaults that occur on our campus.
What inspired you to make the video featuring the athletes speaking out against sexual violence?
WBTT wanted to get their message out there. Getting Nigel Hayes, Dare Ogunbowale, Drew Conner, and Aaron Moesch involved brought in a lot of attention. The big names of these athletes sparked peoples interest and attention. What was nice about working with the four athletes in the video is that their answers were completely genuine, and they believed in the WBTT mission. Also, making the videos with four male athletes was a twist in perspective from the usual sexual violence prevention campaigns. Hearing the perspective from males wanting to prevent sexual violence on campus and spread the mission of WBTT shows to the students on campus that both genders see that this is a problem. The video was important for WBTT because it raised awareness for the statistic that “one in four women will be sexually assaulted during their time on campus” and was a way to open the eyes of the viewers that something needs to change. The video can be viewed here.
For more information about We’re Better Than That, visit their Facebook page. Absolutely everyone is welcome to join this org. Go to a meeting, get the conversations going, prevent sexual violence on our campus, and keep Madison safe.
Note: Sexual violence is not just men attacking women. Men can be the victims as well. However, it is much more common that women are the victims of violence from men, and this org is trying to put an end to it.