the Informer

“Every two minutes someone is sexually assaulted,” according to Karen Schermerhorn, Office and Program Coordinator in the Connections Health Education and Wellness Center, in response to the Take Back the Night event.

Take Back the Night was held to recognize victims of sexual assault or domestic violence. It was a way for the University of Hartford community to come together to share previous episodes or drown out the past with a walk from the University Commons to Gengras Student Union.

Thursday, April 8 at 6:30 p.m., students and faculty gathered together in front of the Commons awaiting the walk to reconcile the memories of loved ones and their own experiences.

For the actual walk, everyone had grabbed an umbrella that had pictures and sayings on them from the Umbrellas for Peace program sponsored earlier in the week by Women for Change.

“Love, peace,” “Just say NO!,” “NO means NO,” were some of the sayings on the umbrellas. Others were portrayed with flowers, hearts and designs. On the walk, rocks were handed out to each participant. They would then throw the rock into the river. The rock symbolized the remembrance of someone who was involved with domestic violence or sexual assault.

Though many people were on the walk, it was mandatory that it was a silent walk to also remember those who were sexually assaulted or experienced domestic violence.

After the walk the participants met in Gengras to hear the stories of survivors of sexual assault. It also gave a chance for the students to feel they were in a comfortable environment to express their stories whether it was of themselves, friends or even family members.

Some stories were detailed, while others were shortened. Bravery was the theme of the night for everyone who spoke about their experiences that night.
“It is not something you can be silent about. Let it out,” Schermerhorn said.

As each speaker told their personal story about sexual assault, the students and faculty gave a warm applause for their bravery and heroism.
Though the crowd was mostly women, men also took part in Take Back the Night.

Schermerhorn stated, “It’s great to see men here, we need men to help eradicate [sexual assault].” Everyone needs to “power their voice” it makes it a “symbol for strength and hope,” explained Schermerhorn.

In addition to the walk for Take Back the Night, Schermerhorn stated some facts about sexual assault: nine out of 10 people who are raped are female, and college women are four times more likely to be sexually assaulted.

Furthermore, one out of six women are attempted or successfully raped. The hope for this night was to make students more aware of domestic violence and sexual assault so the community as a whole can try to prevent it.

Ashley Marotte, freshman, explained, “This is for a great cause, it brings awareness to the topic. It is so prevalent in our society.” “This is a great event to promote the awareness of sexual assault,” said Steph DiIorio, junior.

For more information or wanting to seek help about these topics, there are anonymous hotlines, such as the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE.
Students or faculty with questions can call or contact Schermerhorn from the Connections Health Education and Wellness Center at kschermer@hartford.edu.