By: Alix Rousseau | Staff Writer
Monday, April 24th– It’s a cloudy afternoon on McAuley Lawn; administrators, faculty and students gather around a small stage. Some are angry. Some are motivated; others demonstrate their empowering vulnerability as tears trickle down their cheeks. The crowd of students, faculty, and administrators hear from students who may not always be the loudest on campus, yet it’s the bravest. Salve Survivors is a collective group of Title IX survivors and activists consisting of men, women, and LBTQIA+ students whose mission is to stand in solidarity with one another to call for a campus that is indeed harmonious, just, and merciful.
On the lawn, countless students wear denim in solidarity with sexual assault survivors, write slogans about the #MeToo Movement, and hold posters voicing Salve’s reconstruction of its Title IX policy. Around the lawn, students paint jeans for International Denim Day, painting phrases such as “No means no!” and raising signs: “Believe survivor’s stories!”
The goal of this protest: “Build bridges, not burn them.”
With open ears, students, faculty and administrators listen to Jenna Park, a senior, activist, and survivor of such actions one night in Newport’s lively bars yet quiet streets. In her speech, she recalls: “As the figure approached my dim porch light, they came into focus–it was him,” an individual that had been at the same event as Park that traumatic fall night. A scene that simply doesn’t come out of a Hollywood blockbuster.
Silent, the audience continues to listen: “Yes, I said no. Yes, I am positive I said no,” declares Park. No other press from the Newport community is present to witness Park’s heart-wrenching testimony.
Following speeches from Salve’s survivors, students walked from McAuley Lawn to Ochre Court, utilizing the famous Cliff Walk to publicize the university’s growing need to reassess its Title IX policy and hold perpetrators of sexual assault, discrimination based on race, gender, sexual orientation accountable for such actions.
“There is no normal after trauma!” stated junior Isabelle Cole—founder of Salve Survivors and Title IX advocate on campus, to students, faculty and administrators in attendance. There were between nine or ten members of the faculty and administrators present at the protest, allowing students to locate allies within our Salve Community.
When asked about potential suggestions for Salve’s Administration, students, faculty and administrators voiced renewing its Title IX policy, implementing support groups for survivors, recognizing Title IX’s urgency on campus, and offering more support for Salve’s Title IX task force.
The Co-Chair of the Title IX and Anti-Discrimination Task Force and the Associate Vice President and Dean of Students, Tracey Cameron, states that the protest “…helped to educate members of the campus community to the unfortunate experiences of students in our community and reaffirmed the urgency of immediate action to address issues of sexual violence on our campus.”
The responsibilities of the Title IX and Anti-Discrimination Task Force are to examine the policies and practices, and to recommend improvements to support students on Salve Regina University’s campus. Cameron is hopeful that the task force will aid in bringing further awareness of sex discrimination and discriminatory behavior to Salve Regina’s administration. To read Cameron’s statement in its entirety, click here.
It is students’ hope that this protest and walk voiced their concerns about the importance of renewing its Title IX policies to administrators at Salve Regina.
Cover photo from @salvesurvivors on Instagram
