Take Back the Night march promotes awareness of sexual violence on campus

A crowd of about 130 men and women holding white candles marched around campus Saturday night — quietly at first, but by the end chanting loudly, "Yes means yes! No means no!"

They were participating in the annual Take Back the Night march to raise awareness and support the victims of sexual violence on campus.

The event began when people of all ages and ethnicities gathered at the University Chapel to hear a brief introduction by the march's organizers and two songs by the Wildcats — an all female a cappella group.

Standing at the front of the dimly lit chapel, the group sang songs that embodied the evening's spirit. They began with a sad and soulful melody and ended with the uplifting lyrics of "Hope" by Sweet Honey in the Rock.

After the performance, Dr. Thema Bryant, SHARE program coordinator, read a poem about sexual violence on campus.

"This campus will be the birth place of change," she read. "That is why we gather . . . We can and we will make a difference."

The audience then proceeded out of the chapel, carrying their candles.

They paused at four points on campus, where sexual violence has occurred, listening to women, and men, speak about their experiences with rape and their perspectives on the march.

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As the group stopped outside Prospect Gardens, a female student took the microphone and related her experience with rape.

She was at an eating club partying with sorority sisters freshman year when she decided to hang out with an alumnus who was on campus for the weekend. When they went to find ice cream in the kitchen, he kissed her and asked her to go upstairs. She walked away, saying she had to meet her friends at the front door but was unable to find them. The next thing she knew it was three hours later and a "kind stranger" had taken her to the bathroom to vomit.

After recalling the evening's events with her friends, who said they had looked for her for two hours, she went to McCosh Health Center to take a morning-after pill "just in case."

She later remembered how the alumnus had raped her behind a secluded staircase in the club.

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As the group moved on, the speaker stayed behind, sitting on the ground with head in hands, and friends gathered round to comfort her.

Vanessa Bartram '02, co-organizer of the march, said she was glad that not only women, but men also spoke during the march.

"We did have several men speak last night which was really welcome," she said.

The primary purpose of the march, Bartram said, is to make people aware that sexual violence does happen at Princeton, more than most people realize, and that it happens to all kinds of people.

"Sexual violence is something that transcends all genders, all ages, all races . . . all sexual orientations," she said.

And each person had his own reason for marching. Allison Arensman '04 said she was marching because she thought it was important that people be informed that sexual violence exists on the University's seemingly safe campus.

"Princeton is especially ignored maybe because [people] don't want to think about it," said Arensman, who is also a U-Councilor. "[The march is] a chance to think about ways to help."

This is Take Back the Night's 13th year at the University, but it is a national movement on almost every college campus. Until recently, the turnout has been relatively small. In 1999, only 13 people marched, Bartram said, and they encountered hostility upon entering Holder Courtyard.

"When they went through Holder, people were screaming out of the windows," Bartram said.

Even last night "three or four" students in Holder yelled out protests against the march, she said.

Though this year's attendance fell from last year's group of 250, Bartram attributed it to the multitude of other events on campus. Despite this year's lower numbers, Bartram said she thought the march went well.

"It still provided a good forum for people to talk, [and] it definitely raises awareness," she said. "Quite a few people told me after the march . . . they didn't realize [sexual violence] even happened at Princeton."