On a relatively warm February night, I wander down Rugby Rd. amidst throngs of sorority girls in matching tank tops and neon accessories. Every house has music blaring, lights flashing, and lines of boys pleading with brothers for a chance to enter. Girls, on the other hand, walk right to the front, hold out their hand to be marked, and enter. It is rare for this many people to be out frat hopping on a Saturday night, but Boys Bid Night is a social staple for Greeks and Non-Greeks alike. However, due to the high volume of traffic and quantity of alcohol available, Boys Bid Night has become an increasing safety concern in recent years. Historically, 40% of the sexual assaults reported to the sexual misconducts board are in the week following Boys Bid Night.
This year, students took a stand toward raising awareness and making a change. One in Four, an all-male sexual assault prevention group, in cooperation with Democracy for America: Charlottesville, began The Handprint Project. This initiative involved every fraternity man placing his handprint, in blue paint, on a large white sheet to hang outside their respective fraternity house on Boys Bid Night. Further, a pledge circulated on social media urging all UVA students to intervene if they witnessed a sexual assault or precursors to sexual assault. The overarching message of The Handprint Project is that bystander intervention is a viable approach to preventing sexual assault.
Although Boys Bid Night 2014 has passed, the message of The Handprint Project still resounds within the University community: We have the power to stop this. It is no secret that the University has faced harsh criticism for their treatment of sexual assaults in the past, but the issue has recently demanded attention and gained prevalence. A petition to include sexual assault as an Honor offense is rapidly collecting signatures by positing that sexual assaults undoubtedly violate the Community of Trust. Furthermore, President Sullivan recently conducted a dialogue on sexual misconducts among college students, which garnered national attention. Nonetheless, no policy changes have actually been enacted.
As a young woman attending a school that defines itself by an omnipresent, single sanction Honor code and Community of Trust, I hope to see such a pervasive issue continue to gain momentum with the student body and ultimately amount to a lasting change in University policy. One Less, One in Four, The Women’s Center, and several other organizations on Grounds continually fight in order propagate sexual assault awareness and preventive methods. It is long overdue that we reevaluate the way in which we approach sexual assault and time to engage in critical discourse amongst ourselves. Pushing sexual assault under the carpet is no longer an option. There are no excuses—it is time to step up, UVA.