This week, men at Northwestern can start to take a stand against sexual violence by spreading awareness to their peers.
Jamie Jimenez, coordinator of NU’s sexual assault education program, is launching an all-male group aimed at educating male college students about preventing sexual assault against women.
The group should teach men to be more proactive, Jimenez said. She is trying to teach males on campus how to get involved and make it their business as bystanders to help prevent dangerous situations.
“In social settings, when some men see something that may seem inappropriate or dangerous, they think, ‘It’s none of my business,'” she said.
One forcible sexual offense was reported on NU’s Evanston campus in 2004, and none were reported on the Chicago campus, according to a University Police report.
But Jimenez said this number isn’t accurate. Many students who report sexually violent acts go to CAPS or the Women’s Center, where their reports are completely confidential.
Jimenez has been interested in starting an all-male group with this focus for several years. She is concentrating on recruitment and training because historically, few men showed interest in the group, she said.
“I would get, out of 15, only one or two young men who actually wanted to do this work, and it’s frustrating,” Jimenez said. “It is time for men to step up to the plate and embrace this and do their part. Women can’t do this by themselves, and men still have that voice when other men will listen to them.”
Medill freshman Jason Plautz said he understands why it might be hard to recruit for an all-male anti-violence group.
“I would join this group, but I think what deters a lot of other guys is this whole stigma that you’re not being cool ratting out other guys,” he said. “But I’m cool with that.”
Jimenez will start advertising for the group this week with ads in The DAILY and posters where men tend to hang out, such as athletic centers, she said. She will also send out e-mails to different residence halls and is enlisting College Feminists to help recruit.
She will not start training until she has at least 13 interested men. She conducted outreach during New Student Week, including an announcement at the Essential NU “Sex Signals” sessions. Few men have contacted Jimenez, but several polled by The Daily would be very interested in going through training, they said.
A group like this may be effective, but won’t change everyone’s mind, said communication senior Jon Watkins.
“If I saw a woman in a dangerous situation I would say something, myself,” he said. “The group can only be so effective, but guys won’t necessarily take these trainings seriously. I mean, it is tough to go up to a person and try to make them change.”
Group members will undergo 10 hours of training, Jimenez said. Half of the course focuses on anti-violence, and the other half is about issues regarding masculinity. Men will reflect on their own lives and discuss what it means to be a man. They’ll also be posed with questions such as, “What does it show when men show compassion?”
“This collaboration is part of creating community and safety,” Jimenez said.
“Hopefully they are willing; every other school has some type of group with men doing something about this issue. Let’s join the 21st century.”
Reach Lauren Levy at [email protected].
