The first time I visited Oklahoma State University, I fell in love. The campus was beautiful. The people were friendly. It was far enough away from home to have the freedom I wanted, but close enough to come back for holidays. Before I was done with the campus tour, I’d already made my decision to attend OSU. A year later, I was enrolled.
My first day of classes started just like any first day of college. I got lost at least a dozen times, but I’d expected that. Around lunchtime, I received a text from a friend asking if I wanted to get dinner, and we made plans to meet up that evening.
Around 6:00pm, I put my headphones in as I began to walk from my dorm to my friend’s dorm. I was aware of my surroundings, but I wasn’t being super cautious; I didn’t feel the need to be, because it wasn’t dark outside yet, and my destination wasn’t far away.
I wasn’t concerned at all when a truck with about a dozen guys riding in the bed turned around the corner in front of me. When the truck started to slow down and the driver leaned out the window, I started to worry. I couldn’t hear what he said, but I knew it was directed at me. My breath caught in my chest as the truck got closer. I averted my eyes, but I could still hear the whistles. I turned the volume of my music all the way up, but I could still hear shouts of, “Hey, Baby” and “Where are you going?”. I started to walk faster, almost running at this point, as the truck made a U-turn in the middle of the street and continued to follow me. I was sprinting at this point, clutching my phone and my keys in my hand. I heard the truck make a left turn behind me. Finally, I could breathe again.
– Olivia Riddle , Oklahoma State Class of 2020
When women complain about street harassment, we are all too often discredited. We are told that catcalling is a compliment, and that we should feel flattered. My first reaction in this situation had not been to feel flattered, but however my first reaction had been fear. My mind immediately jumped to stories I’d read in the news recently such as, a Pittsburgh woman who was shot dead in the street by a man she had rejected in a bar, a woman who was slashed in the throat after ignoring a man who harassed her outside her apartment, and A teenage girl who was hit with a pipe disfigured by the men who catcalled her when she confronted them. For a moment, I wondered if I would become one of those stories.
I grew up in a big city, so this was not by any means my first time being whistled and shouted at on the street. But, this moment struck me in a way that other experiences never had. This time, I was alone, I was in a new environment, hours away from my home. I hadn’t been at OSU for more than a few days. For the first time, this campus that I’d fallen in love with a year before, did not feel like a safe place for me. For the first time, I realized that the Cowboy Family I had been so proud to join at Convocation the previous Saturday includes people who do not respect me, and see me as nothing more than an object to be shouted at on the street.
A catcall IS NOT a compliment. It is harassment.
Being whistled and shouted at by a stranger does not flatter me. It terrifies me. This campus is a public space, and I have the right to walk in a public space without being bothered, or harassed, or made to feel unsafe. Every woman on this campus has that right.
If you ever feel unsafe on Oklahoma State’s Campus, Her Campus OkState asks that you do not hesitate to contact OSU Police or Safe Walk.
In case of extreme emergencies please find the nearest blue emergency tower.
OSU Police
Emergency: 911 Police: 405-744-6523
Campus Address: 104 USDA BLDG. Stillwater, Oklahoma 74078