Elliott Sweeney often heard his female friends discussing Northwestern men’s party behavior; how the women often felt like prizes rather than people.
Now Sweeney is finding a way to help them out.
The Weinberg freshman and five other male students are in the early stages of bringing a chapter of Men Against Rape and Sexual Assault to campus. MARS’s goal is to use statistics and discussions to challenge the way men view rape and sexual assault, he said.
“Men can have a huge role in this issue,” Sweeney said. “It’s not just a women’s problem.”
Weinberg junior Rufus Urion, a MARS member, said bringing the group to NU will extend support from a male perspective to women’s groups already fighting sexual violence.
“I’m excited to see where it goes and how the campus will respond,” he said.
Though few cases of criminal sexual assault have been reported on campus this academic year, University Police typically make one to three arrests for domestic battery each year, UP Deputy Chief Dan McAleer said. Officers also respond to reports of stalking and electronic and phone harassment, he said. Regardless, the extent of dating violence is likely underreported, McAleer said.
“A lot of people don’t want to bring police into their homes to settle things,” he said.
Dating violence is underreported nationwide, but people between the ages of 18 and 24 are at the highest risk of being affected by it, said Wendy Dickson, Evanston YWCA director of domestic violence services.
Aside from physical violence, relationship violence also encompasses less visible psychological, emotional and sexual abuse, Dickson said.
The issue is hard to document because students often excuse violent behavior or dismiss subtle signs of abuse, Dean of Students Burgwell Howard said.
Even if students aren’t ready to come forward about their experiences with dating violence, having someone close to them create awareness on their behalf goes beyond any sanction the University could levy, Howard said.
“We really want people to be less afraid to share what happened with friends and people they trust, because we don’t want this type of behavior in our community,” he said.
The NU Women’s Center is the “go-to place” for male and female students affected by dating violence or sexual assault, said Sara Walz, a counselor at the Women’s Center. The center offers 52 free counseling sessions and provides advocates who go before judicial affairs on a student’s behalf, she said.
While student groups such as Sexual Health and Assault Peer Educators raise awareness about sexual health, dating violence issues aren’t as well known to NU students.
“In general, on campus, it’s not the first thing that comes to mind,” said Communication junior and SHAPE events committee co-Chairwoman Emily Scherker.
Weinberg junior Hannah Jaracz said it takes effort to facilitate discussion on sexual and physical violence, even during the event Take Back the Night, a march against sexual assault.
“It’s hard to get people to come out,” said Jaracz, a Take Back the Night committee member. “If it hasn’t happened to them, they feel they are not expected to deal with it.”
Dating violence often escapes universities’ radars because issues such as alcohol abuse get prioritized, said Laura Stuart, NU Health Service coordinator for sexual health education and violence prevention. Making students aware of the dynamics of relationship violence and having a supportive group of men on campus helps to combat the issue, she said.
“It’s important to have a community of men saying, ‘This is our issue, as well,'” she said.[email protected]
