The Ethics Event, a mandatory event that is part of the Gateway Program for all freshman students, kicked off with small group discussions last Wednesday led by student facilitators and faculty mentors, who picked apart a story recounting a sexual assault. The case was based off the recent sexual case involving Brock Turner, a high profile athlete at the elite Stanford University, who allegedly assaulted a woman after a party one night. He was let off with only six months in a county jail, three years of probation, and was registered on the sex offender list, rather than the 14 years in prison that the crime lawfully permitted. Without using names and changing locations to be relevant to Bryant students, the event coordinators chose this case to draw attention to the scary truth that “it can happen anywhere.”
Student facilitators led a discussion in groups of ten to relate the case to the culture of Bryant. Being a small school, many students had the mentality that “things like that never happen here” or “everyone respectfully looks out for each other”, and while we at Her Campus believe that our classmates are courteous, heartfelt human beings, the truth is that misconduct happens everywhere (and Bryant falls under the umbrella of everywhere). That being said, the aim of the event was not to scare students into thinking harm lies around every corner, because it doesn’t, but rather to educate them with preventative tips and how to socially and emotionally tackle the aftermath of a traumatic experience.
In the small groups, we first discussed how the culture of Bryant plays into rape culture and consent. Many freshmen shared that Bryant has a welcoming and open campus – meaning many students have adopted an open door policy by keeping their dorms unlocked and allowing their friends and strangers to come and go as they please. They also discussed the prevalence of alcohol and parties, and broke down how the setup of Bryant’s party scene could potentially create a “perfect storm” for sexual assaults, like any other college campus.
It is important for the students to keep in mind that alcohol may be a factor, but not the reason, for someone assaulting another individual. Facilitators asked the students to define consent and examples of when it is given. Under Rhode Island law, the legal definition is “Consent: implies that both people have agreed to sexual activity, that both individuals are legally old enough to agree to the sexual activity, and that both have the capacity to agree to the sexual activity (State of Rhode General Assembly, 2014). In addition, consent can only be given when 1) all parties are free to act, 2) all parties communicate their willingness to participate in a behavior, 3) all parties are fully conscious and aware, and 4) all parties are 16 years or older. Even as first year college students, many of them felt comfortable sharing how the party scene can strew consent and often times consent is implied or assumed when accepting a drink or an invite back to someone’s living quarters. Teaching students the fine line between what is consent and is it not consent is critical to everyone’s safety.
Next, students discussed how Bryant promotes a “work hard, play hard” attitude. Monday through Friday we work like hell to get our homework and projects done, while actively participating in clubs and organizations, and attending work/internships. Then, on the weekends, the desire to relax and let loose from the week’s stress takes over. These extremes can cause students to lose all sense of control because it is expected to act over the top and go wild on the weekends.
The advisors of the event prompted students to discuss how the various social groups affect (positively or negatively) the rest of the campus. Almost every group was quick to throw Greek life as a sub group on this campus. Generally, Greek Life has a bad reputation for partying, but most students decided that Bryant’s fraternities and sororities promote a more positive atmosphere and felt that Greek life at Bryant carried a different image than portrayed in the media today. Plus, they have greater responsibilities to host informative events about drinking culture, like the organization Greeks Advocating for Mature Management of Alcohol. In addition, the fraternity Delta Kappa Epsilon hosts an annual Miss Bryant pageant every spring to raise awareness for sexual assault. The Interfraternity Council, the governing body of the fraternities on campus, also hosts a campus wide event called “Take Back the Night” to raise awareness. Bryant’s Greek Life is held to a higher standard on this campus and make efforts to educate the public on several topics and social issues.
The other main group of students brought up were athletes. Here, freshman brought up the idea of privilege and that since we are a D1 school where athletes could be treated like celebrities, they are used to getting what they want, including other people. Plus, many freshman felt outcasted and judged by athletes, especially at parties, which could play into fear and intimidation which is inherent of rape culture. Facilitators reminded the first year students about campus safety and knowing when to leave before a situation becomes dangerous.
The last topic in the discussion was about being a bystander. In the given case, two students walking back from a party that night saw the assault occur and intervened. The students tackled the male student as he tried to flee and immediately called the cops and ambulance. In our small groups, we discussed the role that these two brave students played and what could have occurred to the conscious female if they had walked away and ignored the situation. This was an eye-opener to the freshmen who have only experienced the college life for the last two months. As a group, students all agreed that if they saw a similar situation on campus that they would have reacted the same and called for help.
One facilitator shared a personal experience where she subtly intervened and helped a female underclassman. The intoxicated female was partying at the townhouses and another male student was trying to urge her to come back with him. The facilitator said she removed the girl from the potential danger by going up to the girl and asking her to come inside to the bathroom with her. The facilitator shared how this subtle intervention worked and how it avoided the situation from happening. On a campus that has a ratio of 60:40, male to female, all of us women need to learn to have each other’s backs – whether we know them or not – we would want someone to stop and help us. We reminded our groups that if you don’t feel personally comfortable intervening in a situation like this, that they should ask for help – whether it’s another friend at the party or from DPS. DPS officers are stationed around the townhouses every weekend night for our safety – and while it can be a annoying to dump out your drunk or when they shut down parties, we need to remember that they are there for our safety and a great resource for help.
We had a great time facilitating in our small groups this year and felt that students walked out with new knowledge and a better sense of campus safety at Bryant. Overall, we applaud Bryant and the Ethics Event Planning Committee for picking a relevant and crucial topic this year to discuss. We thank and congratulate everyone for their hardwork and dedication!
Resources on campus to reach out to:
Department of Public Safety
Counseling Services – 3rd floor of the Unistructure by the Post Office
Advocacy Helping 401-258-4209
Hochberg Women’s Center – 2nd floor of the FSC