EASTON, Pa.(www.lafayette.edu), October 9, 2007 — Katharine Thompson ’09 (Glenside, Pa.) is a Marquis Scholar majoring in American studies. Thompson serves as president of the Association of Lafayette Feminists (ALF). From Oct. 10-11, ALF will be sponsoring Take Back the Night, an annual campaign to raise awareness of violence against women.
During the 2006 calendar year, five rapes were reported on Lafayette’s campus.
Take Back the Night (TBNT) is all about education. It is an event aimed at making people realize that rape and sexual assault are not just facts on college campuses, but something that we as a community can do something about. We want to bring to the attention of the Lafayette College community that these things do happen here, but they don’t have to. If we refuse to let these horrible incidents happen, they won’t.
Over the past several years TBNT has expanded into a week of events. This year we decided to pull it down to two days and really focus on getting great speakers that would interest lots of students. Our goal is to expose as many students as possible to our message.
Andrea Cooper, who was personally affected by these issues, will be coming to give her speech “Kristin’s Story,” which is the story of her daughter’s rape by an acquaintance and subsequent depression and suicide. Also, Becky Lee, a D.C. lawyer who was on Survivor and created a fund to help battered women, will be speaking on “How to Recognize and Respond to Dating Violence.”
The schedule for TBTN 2007 is as follows:
Wednesday, Oct. 10
- Noon -1 p.m. – Self Defense Class led by the Martial Arts Club, Marlo Room, Farinon College Center
- 7:30 p.m. – Andrea Cooper, “Kristin’s Story,” Colton Chapel
Thursday, Oct 11
- 12:15 p.m. – Beck Lee, “How to Recognize and Respond to Dating Violence,” Limburg Theater, Farinon
- 7 p.m. – The March from Farinon and Speak Out to follow in the Interfaith Chapel, Hogg Hall
I would like to encourage everyone to take advantage of these opportunities, not only the two free lunches, but also the opportunity to become more educated about rape, sexual assault, and dating violence. Knowledge about these issues can help prevent them from occurring.
I would also like to thank the co-sponsors of the week for their support, without which this event could never happen. They are the Counseling Center, Dean of Students, Department of Athletics, Martial Arts Club, Office of Religious Life, Phi Kappa Psi, Public Safety, Sexual Assault Oversight Committee, Tri Delta, and the Women’s Studies program.
