We failed you, Northwestern, and we can be better.

Men Against Rape and Sexual Assault, known as MARS around campus, started in 2010 as a half-dozen guys who saw sexual assault as inherently a men’s issue. In an effort to stand up to sexual violence, they developed a presentation to deliver to Interfraternity Council pledge classes during their new member education process. Six years have passed since then, and the national conversation around sexual assault on college campuses is louder and more visible than ever before.

On Tuesday of last week, a column was published in The Daily Northwestern that pointed out shortcomings of our organization that we have not yet done enough to address. Preventing sexual assault and breaking down rape culture requires that we really challenge men, including ourselves, on what toxic masculinity looks like, rather than spoon-feed them easy answers. We need to think beyond heteronormative examples of sexual misconduct and the dominant narratives of sexual violence.

We know we can improve in each of these areas, and our exec board has committed to challenging each other and to making these goals a focus for all members. We ask that if you feel like we are not doing enough, or like we have left certain perspectives underrepresented, come talk to us in person, on Facebook or at any of our open meetings and presentations. Just as is the case when we talk about consent as being active and ongoing, we hope we can create a culture of feedback and open communication that helps us build healthier relationships across NU.

Please know that the 40 of us who remain in MARS are committed to growing as an organization and as members. All members of the organization participated in MARS’ first annual retreat this past weekend, discussing what masculinity looks like personally and how traditional masculinity contributes to a culture of sexual violence. We are meeting with Sexual Health and Assault Peer Educators this week to see what we can learn from their presentations and approach to community outreach. We are eager to collaborate with other campus groups to understand how our struggles intersect. In response to critiques we have received, we will continue to improve our presentation; we will continue to pilot our MARS 201 program, specifically focused on masculinity and its relation to sexual violence; membership in MARS will be focused on the personal work necessary to be accountable to survivors of sexual assault, and all members of the NU community.

Sincerely,
The MARS Exec Board

Daniel Loizzo, 2017
Kevin Pu, 2018
Grant Murphy-Herndon, 2018
Bryce Halloran, 2018
Will Altabef, 2017
Liam White, 2018