Ryan ChartrandConcerned students gathered in the University Union Plaza Friday night for The Stand, a protest against the sexual assaults that have recently taken place near campus.
The Stand, headed by the Cal Poly Women’s Awareness club (CPWA), began as a rally and was followed with a march down Hathway Street and up California Boulevard, through the neighborhoods where the attacks took place.
More than 20 students – including leaders from CPWA, the Women’s Center and SAFER – came out carrying posters and glow sticks to draw attention to the cause and to voice their concern about the attacks.
“This event is important because it affects all students. I was surprised when there was not a larger community response to the attacks, we need a venue like this that is able to gather people together and show that women’s safety is a priority,” said Ruthie Osorio, an English senior, women’s studies minor and CPWA member.
The rally in the UU included safety advice from University Police Department officer Frank Herrera urging people to report any suspicious behavior they see to the department.
“It’s good to see so many people showing up to support safety,” Herrera said. “We are one of the safest campuses in the CSU system but we all still need to be aware and make good decisions.”
After announcements from the University Police Department, students had the opportunity to step up to the microphone to read inspirational women’s poetry and initiate chants. Despite the nature of the recent attacks, leaders reminded the students that the vast majority of sexual abuse comes from friends and acquaintances, and most of them go unreported.
The student marching group drew the attention and applause of pedestrians and drivers alike with signs that said “honk for women’s safety” and “we love consensual sex.”
The loudest message the marchers sent to the community was through their repeated “one in four, no more” chant, referring to the statistic that one in every four women will be sexually assaulted during their college years. The group also brought attention to the lesser-known fact that one in every 10 men will also experience some kind of sexual abuse in college.
“I hope that this gathering will help people meet, make people feel empowered and open their eyes to safety issues,” said Lizzie Lamotte-Mitchell, political science senior and CPWA member.
After several executive members of the club graduated in recent years, CPWA went through a time of minimal activity. The Stand was their first major event of the year and now they are planning to restart and jump back into action.
“Right now CPWA is looking to revamp and get more people involved, I think deep inside everyone wants to talk about these types of issues and CPWA provides a safe environment for them to take place,” Osorio said.
The club also plans on become involved this year with the Change the Status Quo conference, the Take Back the Night event in the spring and other service drives.
CPWA also hosts a weekly feminist discussion group on various topics on women’s issues every Tuesday at 8 p.m. in the Women’s Center in the UU, room 217.