Meet our newest HerCampus Celebrity, Charlie Douglas! Charlie is a sophomore Computer Science and Political Science double major from Barrington, IL. He’s in charge of Code TEAL, which promotes awareness and prevention of sexual assault on DePauw’s campus. Get to know him! He’s a motivated leader that knows how to have fun yet stay involved!
HC: Charlie! Thank you so much for letting me interview you! I know you’re a pretty busy guy, so I really appreciate your time! How are you?
Charlie: Stressed! Seriously though, I’m great! Code TEAL week is in full swing and it was sunny and warm today, who could ask for any better?
HC: So, last week was Code TEAL week, right? Tell me about that!
Charlie: Code TEAL week is a week that we do bi-annually to raise awareness and just generally open discussions about sexual assault. The goal of the week is to create programming that opens conversations outside of the programs themselves. For example, we know everyone is extremely busy, especially now, so we understand that you might not make it out to more than one of our events. However, in that one event, we might be able to help you facilitate a conversation about sexual assault with people in your dorm, fraternity, sorority, etc.
HC: That sounds really awesome. How did you get involved with Code TEAL?
Charlie: The most amazing and influential, Mike Curts. He suggested I go to one of the meetings. Little did I know that I was going to be the only non-senior in the group and left in charge. I’m so glad though that Mike convinced me to go! Without him, I would have never realized how much someone can do for a school.
HC: Wow, what a big role you play in keeping this organization going at DePauw. I wonder what they would have done without you! What is the best part about Code TEAL?
Charlie: The best part of Code TEAL is the people who are involved. Everyone is super motivated to create dialogue and even those abroad first semester still texted me asking how to get involved. The people involved really have the ability to change attitudes towards sexual assault and I think that’s what makes these people amazing. They’re also just really cool to be around!
HC: Very cool! How can DePauw students help support Code TEAL on a daily basis?
Charlie: Just talk about it! Opening discussions about sexual assault and gender stereotypes in everyday conversations are great ways to get people thinking about these things. I even had a conversation with a group of friends at Marvin’s and of course we disagreed on some things, but at least we had the conversation and opened each other up to different ways of thinking. Getting the conversation started, however, is the first thing. Building on these conversations and being an active bystander are the next steps to combating sexual assault.
HC: Great! Well, thank you so much! You’re doing great things for our campus! Good luck with the rest of the week!
Charlie: Thanks for helping me get the word out! Everyone can be an active bystander and start a conversation. Hope everyone has a great day!