Amidst the multitude of pieces circulating about the sexual assaults on our campus, we wanted to take a step back and actually talk to the people the media writes for: UBC students. First year, second year, male or female – everyone has something to say or has been impacted in some way.
From anger to frustration, arguments to debates online – if anything has come of this, it’s the way it has provoked us.
To think. To reflect. To speak out. To debate. But most importantly, to engage.
So, we decided to isolate several voices on campus – a sample size, if you will – to gauge how different student reactions have been across the spectrum. We aren’t here to discount or put anyone’s opinions on a pedestal.
We’re just here to let you listen to them.
“It’s just sad how these events have changed the campus atmosphere, it sucks that we have become paranoid when walking around our own campus.
I now feel safer living off campus, which is just weird.”
– Tori Quan, 4th year
“The most frustrating part of the assaults on campus – for me anyways – is that they have taken away my right to do as I please. The men that I have talked to regarding these events have bombarded me with their opinions about how it is reckless for me to go anywhere alone. They seem to support the misconception that this is the first time I have had to worry about a sexual assault/attack. The truth is, as a woman, it is something I worry about constantly, regardless of where I am or what I’m doing.
It is unrealistic for my life to be put on hold because of the assaults. One guy who I talked to even went so far to say:
‘Well, if you’re walking out late by yourself, then you’re asking for it.’
The blame should not be placed on the victims because they were ‘out late’ or ‘wearing skirts’. Is misogyny still so prevalent in our society that these are reasons to be assaulted? ‘Well the victim was walking alone at night, and wearing a skirt…’ I’ve heard countless people say this. Ultimately, it should not matter. Women are always at risk. ALWAYS. Men are being naïve if they think this is the first time that we have had to worry. I’m not being proud or stubborn because I don’t want to constantly walk around with an escort. I’m being realistic. I will continue to take as much precaution as possible to protect myself – just like I always have.”
– Miranda Moll, 1st year
“Sexual assault is probably one of the most disgusting things one person can do to another. To violate someone’s body like that never made any sense to me. I find consent to be by far the most erotic thing about being intimate with another person. Both of you wanting to share that experience together, and the trust required to feel comfortable sharing that experience is what I enjoy. How anybody could want something else, I can never understand.”
– Thomas Hooley, 4th year
“I worry about my girl friends who live up there [on campus]. I always thought UBC was a safe environment and to think that the guys attacking vulnerable girls could be in my classes makes me uneasy.
On the other hand, it’s frustrating that many girls won’t use the services on campus (like Safe Walk). Lots of them seem to think it won’t happen to them because they’re tough and can take care of themselves. For a school that’s one of the best in the country, more should be done to protect the girls on campus, whether by making Safe Walk more accessible, or making sure girls know the risks.”
– Mac Stephen, 2nd year
“It is unfortunate that current events on our campus have placed us in this position. But I guess it is in inevitable that at a campus community like ours that these events are likely to occur. Finding a solution to these issues through complaint procedures or counseling services are not going to solve everything today. It is just going to take a long time for us to work around them. It will take a long time but the right procedures and precautions shoud only help us!”
– Munene Kaumbutho, 4th year
What you decide to do with these opinions is up to you – this is merely a platform. Do you have anything to say? Let us know!
One of our writers has chosen to respond to the attacks in her own way, and you can check it out her article, ‘Why I’m Mad About the Campus Attacks’, on our blog.