The steps of Hendricks Chapel were filled with male and female Syracuse University students donning a mixture of baby-blue T-shirts and greek-letter sweatshirts, as well as faculty and local community members Wednesday night.

Students held signs with sayings such as ‘Break the Silence, Stop the Violence’ and ‘Demand an End to Sexual Violence.’ The Syracuse University Cheerleaders stood in front of the crowd.

They all were gathered for Take Back the Night 2006, an international event where men and women join together in local communities and college campuses to speak out against sexual and domestic violence. The event always takes place in April, which is Sexual Violence Awareness Month.

TBTN has taken place on the SU campus for more than 10 years, said Dessa Bergen-Cico, the associate dean of students and director of the Rape: Advocacy, Prevention and Education Center, which sponsored TBTN 2006. The event was also planned by various student volunteers as early as November.

‘The planning is a great way to get various students and student organizations involved,’ Bergen-Cico said. ‘The process of putting the event on brings people together to talk about sexual awareness.’

The event was co-sponsored by A Men’s Issue, Students Advancing Sexual Safety and Empowerment, fraternities, sororities and other student groups.

AMI had been very involved in planning TBTN, said Melissa Kleinman, TBTN’s co-chair. The group realized sexual violence is not just a woman’s problem.

‘We want people to realize it’s not about blaming men,’ said Jacob Bartholomew, president of AMI. ‘It is really about men and women coming together to talk about the issues.’

TBTN started at 7:15 p.m. with a short welcoming by Kleinman and Monica Sears, TBTN’s other co-chair. Kleinman asked anyone in the crowd who had been personally affected or knew someone who had been affected by sexual violence. More than two-thirds of the crowd members raised their hands.

‘That’s why we’re here tonight,’ said Kleinman in response to the raised hands. ‘(Sexual violence) touches everyone … tonight we’re taking the first step in saying we are not going to tolerate it.’

Before the event, Kleinman said TBTN is very important since sexual awareness is more prevalent than people realize.

‘Just because we don’t talk about it doesn’t mean it isn’t happening,’ she said. ‘TBTN encourages people to find their voice. It gives them the permission to talk about it, where it usually thrives in secrecy.’

Executive Director of Vera House Randi Bregman, the keynote speaker, also said how important it is for people to find their voice about sexual violence.

‘Her passion and commitment to working to end sexual violence make her an ideal person to speak tonight,’ said Sears when introducing Bregman.

Bregman, who spoke to the crowd from the landing of Hendricks, works with Vera House to provide services related to sexual and domestic violence in the greater Syracuse area.

‘This is an issue that touches the lives of far too many people in our community,’ Bregman said. ‘The only way (sexual violence) will ever end is if we find our voice.’

Bregman said she was thrilled to see so many people present at such an important event for SU and the local community.

‘To see this number of people here tonight, I know we have a great beginning,’ she said. ‘I think there is a hope for the future.’

After Bregman spoke, the SU cheerleaders led the crowd in a march, chanting, ‘SU unite, take back the night!’ The crowd marched down South Crouse Avenue, made a right onto Marshall Street, a right onto Walnut Avenue and then walked through campus back to Hendricks.

Kleinman said TBTN is great because it brings together males and females of different ethnicities, sexual orientations and backgrounds.

‘Sexual violence touches everyone,’ Bregman said. ‘Tonight we are standing united against a common cause.’

After the rally and march, participants were invited inside Hendricks for a speak-out, where they were encouraged to share personal or friends’ experiences or encounters with sexual violence or simply thoughts on the issues.

‘The speak-out is a very powerful event,’ Kleinman said. ‘People are able to hear they’re not alone in their experiences.’

Following the speak out, various student groups, such as AMI and S.A.S.S.E., presented the everyday activist component, where they talked about what students can do on campus to get involved in fighting sexual violence. The event concluded with performances by female acapella groups Main Squeeze and The Mandarins.

Collin Capano, co-founder and former president of AMI, said he hopes people came away from the event realizing many women don’t feel safe.

‘Ideally, I hope that someday women can walk around at night without feeling threatened,’ Capano said.

Sears said she hopes TBTN would help to raise awareness of sexual violence and encourage people to take action.

‘I hope people will start standing up for what they see,’ she said. ‘I hope they will take personal responsibility to stop the violence.’

Published on April 19, 2006 at 12:00 pm