In 2017 Eric Anthony Grollman put out a call for contributions. Eric wanted to use their column "Conditionally Accepted" as a space to interrogate sexual harassment and assault and higher education. My contribution to the column was published earlier this month.
Eric writes: Apparently, we do not want to hear survivors, we do not want to believe them, we do not want to recognize them as credible sources on their own experiences. So they have to find their own spaces to share their stories. (See also this Washington Post series.)
So in the spirit of amplifying the voices of the marginalized, “Conditionally Accepted” will feature guest blog posts about sexual violence over the next six months. Yes, we are devoting half the year to this oh-so-important topic, though we know six months is hardly enough. Several guest bloggers from different career stages and academic and social backgrounds contributed to our call for blog posts on rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment, stalking and intimate partner violence in higher education. Some people reflect on a personal experience, some offer teaching and research tips, and others offer advice for effectively supporting survivors and ending campus sexual violence.
This series of blog posts will certainly not solve all the issues, but it is at least one way to amplify the voices of survivors -- and, to be certain, that is an important first step.
In my piece I wrote about how assumptions about gender must be challenged in discussions about survivors and perpetrators of sexual violence. But after it was published it made me curious to look back at all the pieces published following the initial call for contributors. Here is what I found
Amplifying the Voices of Sexual Violence Survivors by Eric Anthomy Grollman, published, March 3, 2017
Teaching Rape Culture, by Cat Pause, published March 10, 2017
Teaching about Sexuality, Violence and Power by Jamie L. Small, published March 17, 2017
The Silence of Sexual Violence Survivors by Shelia Liming, published March 24, 2017
Sexual Harassment in Research Abroad by Kathrin Zippel, published March 31, 2017
Talk With Students About Sexual Assault, by Shawn Patrick, published April 7, 2017
Addressing Sexual Violence in Science by Maggie Hardy, published April 14, 2017
Surviving Rape Apologists in the Classroom by Anonymous, published April 21, 2017
Raising Strong Women in a Culture of Rape by Sarah Prior and Brooke De Heer, published April 28, 2017
Sexual Violence and Graduate School by Anonymous, published April 28, 2017
When a Professor is Sexually Harassed by a Student by Anonymous, May 5, 2017
Sexual Harassment in a Culture of Exploitation by Tara Dorje, Published May 5, 2017
Sexual Assault on Campus: 7 Steps You Can Take by Jen Dylan, Published May 12, 2017
Surviving PTSD and Rape in Academe by Anonymous, published May 26, 2017
Are Universities Enabling Sexual Harassment and Assault? by Adia Harvey Wingfield, published June 9, 2017
Dismantling Rape Culture in College Athletics by Dewitt Scott, published June 9, 2017
Adjuncts as Allies? by Alexis Henshaw, published June 23, 2017
Title IX and Your Legal Counsel by Sara Matthieson published, published June 23, 2017
Does Title IX Silence Sexual Assault Survivors? by Cybill Rights, published JUne 30, 2017
#MoreThanHashtags by Irene Shankar, published July 28, 2017
A Sound Prevention Base for Addressing Campus Sexual Violence by Brian Van Brunt and Amy Murphy , published August 4, 2017
Supporting LGBTQI Survivors Part 1 by Jackson Wright Schulz, published August 4, 2017
Supporting LGBTQI Survivors Part 2 by Jackson Wright Schultz, published September 1, 2017
An Intersectional Framework to Sexual Violence Prevention by Nedeeka Karunaratne, published September 1, 2017
Breaking the Culture of Silence by Manya Whitaker, published October 6, 2017
Sexual Violence Research Must Be LGBTQ Inclusive by Sarah A. Stephens, published October 20, 2017
Intersectionality and Sexual Violence by Jamie J. Hagen, published November 3, 2017
3 Questions Researchers about Sexual Violence by Chris Linder and Jessica C. Harris published November 3, 2017
About halfway through typing this list I had to stop and take a break because I was brought to tears.
I was moved to reflect on the space created for so many victims/survivors and allies in higher education. I was moved to see that Eric persisted with the series even after being asked to stop publishing so many pieces on the topic. I was moved to see stories shared, challenges acknowledge and solutions suggested. But I also had the wind knocked out of my by some of the comments: people continuing to reject rape culture, people who dismiss the trauma of sexual violence on campus, people totally unwilling to acknowledge white supremacy and privilege in how sexual violence persists. Yet these essays say that we resist this ignorance and silencing. They say I am not alone and nor are you. And perhaps most importantly they also say we need to listen, learn and acknowledge the toll that sexual violence is taking on our campus community including students, faculty, and staff. Navigating this road at our various institutions can be very lonely and challenging, but for today in visiting these essays I'm reminded of how many of us are in this together and grateful to call myself a part of this "Conditionally Accepted" series.
Update: Below are the links to the final few pieces in the series that were published after my blog post:
Power Conscious Responses to Campus Sexual Violence by Chris Linder and Jessica C. Harris; published Dec. 1
How to provide support to Queer Survivors of Sexual Violence, by Nicole Bedera & Kristjane Nordmeyer, published Dec. 1