From organizing marches to educating their peers on consent, here’s how college students are protecting and supporting one another.
by Emma Folts, PublicSource
Content warning: This story contains references to sexual violence.
At Chatham University, a student-run committee connects classmates with resources for safe sex and information about Title IX.
At the University of Pittsburgh, a group of friends shares information about unwanted interactions and a list of students to stay away from.
At Carnegie Mellon University, a graduate student would like to see more constructive conversations about preventing sexual violence and harassment.
Sexual violence is prevalent on college campuses nationwide. In Pittsburgh, students and recent graduates are stepping up to support survivors, educate their peers and keep one another safe.
A Pitt friend group’s circle of support
When one of Disha Aggarwal’s friends sent her a dating app profile, she and her other friends immediately responded out of concern. Don’t talk to him, they said — he’s assaulted someone before.
That conversation led to the friends creating a list of men to stay away from, which Aggarwal said has mainly spread through word of mouth. Some of the women memorize the names, while others like Aggarwal keep the list on their phones. It’s one way that Aggarwal, a junior at Pitt, has sought to protect herself and her friends from sexual violence.
“It has come in handy because there have been many instances where I’m at a party, and I spot a guy across the room, and I recognize him and I know not to go near him,” she said. “I think it has given a lot of power to make me feel more comfortable in going out.”
Yet she still worries about sexual violence, which she said several of her friends have experienced. One friend reported to the Title IX office — “and I’m extremely proud of her for doing that,” Aggarwal said — but others did not, instead dealing with their trauma alongside those who support them.
Her advice for supporting friends who experience sexual violence?
“Listen to them and support them no matter what decision they make, whether that’s to report it, to not report it, to go seek counseling for it,” she said. “Everyone has their own journey with it. Everyone has their own process of sort of grieving what happened to them.”
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