By Brayden Malley
Dating violence occurs in one out of every five intimate relationships in college. Central Connecticut State University is taking steps to raise awareness and keep students safe through a program called the “Red Flag Campaign.”
This nationwide campaign features a series of posters that address various themes such as coercion, victim blaming, isolation, stalking among other things. Each poster also provides an example of how fellow peers can help. In addition to the posters, roughly 200 small red flags can be seen around campus to advertise the campaign.
Rosa Rodriguez, the campus’ Title IX coordinator, was influential in bringing the campaign back to campus this semester. When asked about the growth of the campaign she stated, “It was worth every penny. We need to make sure people are aware of the services available. We want people to say something if they see something.”
Rodriguez said this is the campaign’s fourth year at CCSU, but this year a cross-functional group was involved in the planning and caused the campaign to grow tremendously.
In the past five years there have been two major cases of sexual assault on campus. One ended in the dismissal of a professor from the psychological science department and the other ended with the arrest of a Wilton police officer. During a typical academic year, three to five assaults are reported, but many others remain unreported for multiple reasons including victim blaming and fear of repercussion to those affected by these crimes.
A residential student felt that “the policies at CCSU make it hard for students to speak out about their experience of sexual harassment and assault without being attacked with questioning by the school or police.” She also noted that she knows many people who are victims of sexual assault on campus.
“We had people every now and then jokingly quote some of the signs showing they were at least looking at the information we were giving out,” said Spencer Perry who runs a group through the Women’s Center.
Perry and her friend Barrington Hunter noticed that students were very receptive of the campaign at the tables and events.
Other students felt that the cat calling and stalking that occurs daily, coupled with the sexual assault and dating violence, “negate the purpose of attending university—to learn.” They also noted that the problem comes from many places, and the only solution is for a mass of women and allies to demonstrate for their rights. The Red Flag Campaign is a meaningful first step in this demonstration.
In addition to the Red Flag Campaign, the women’s center will be hosting a “Take Back The Night” event in April to create a shared dialogue on sexual assault in our community.
Youth for Socialist Action will be hosting a forum talk on Title IX featuring speakers from SCSU, Yale, and UConn, all schools with current Title IX sexual assault lawsuits. And finally, a civil liberties conference will be held featuring keynote speakers and a workshop focused on Title IX.
Services available to students are countless both on and off campus. On-campus resources include the Office of Diversity and Equity, the Office of Student Conduct, CCSU P.D., the Women’s Center, Residential Life, Student Wellness Services and the Office of Student Affairs. Some off-campus resources include the YWCA Sexual Assault Crisis Service, Prudence Crandall Center, Suicide Prevention Lifeline and the Hospital of Central Connecticut. CCSU is committed to raising awareness and making the university a safe place for all.
