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PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY GEORGE MULLINIX
'LET'S TALK ABOUT IT'
Campus groups encourage male participation in sexual assault conversation
DALTON KINGERY
@DaltonKingnews
Until men start engaging in conversations about sexual assault, Drew Harger said things won't change.
"You participate in the same society whether you're actively speaking out or not. And so, until things are changed, men have to be speaking with other men about the issues," said Harger, a senior from McPherson, and a member of Alpha Tau Omega.
A panel discussion, Multiple Masculinities: A Cross-Cultural Conversation with Men at KU, will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 17 at 7 p.m. in the Sabatini Multicultural Resource Center's classroom as part of KU's Sexual Assault Awareness Week.
The discussion is sponsored by The Office of Multicultural Affairs, Students United for Reproductive and Gender Equity (SURGE), the Emily Taylor Center for Women and Gender Equity, and Alpha Tau
Omega (ATO).
"We need to start by having a frank conversation," said Joey Hentzler, a senior from Topeka. "A lot of guys for some reason feel attacked when we're having conversations about women's issues, or women's rights, or feminism. But that's not it. It's not about men, or victimizing men. It's about elevating women to an equal footing."
While student activists like the September Siblings have directly engaged the University by protesting the way sexual assault cases are being handled, other students said it's important to start an open dialogue throughout the gender spectrum about sexual assault and gender equality within the University community.
Hentzler said one of the main obstacles to initiating these conversations in the community is the fact that many men are not comfortable discussing rape, sexual violence or gender equality.
"Men feel like they're being blamed for 100 percent of the problem, and I can see how it might land on them that way," said Kathy Olcott, a sophomore from Lawrence and undergraduate intern for the Emily Taylor Center for Women and Gender Equity. "But most women aren't trying to blame them. Most women just want them to help us and be part of the solution."
"...until things are changed, men have to be speaking with other men about the issues."
"You're never going to fully understand what it's like," Garrett said. "I'll never know what it's like to be a woman walking home from the bars concerned about my safety. But what you can do is start conversation. Meaningful conversation that begins with a place of understanding and learning. Men need to develop a sense of openness and understanding and see where women are coming from."
DREW HARGER
Senior from McPherson
Mitchell Cota, president of Spectrum KU, a student organization focused on
Olcott said that she doesn't think most men realize how behaviors like using derogatory language about women or catcalling can further perpetuate the issue.
"It is a hard thing to talk
gender and sexuality diversity, said that traditional ideas about masculinity and gender roles play a part in making men hesitant to engage in these conversations.
"I think men tend to allow the media in general to portray them in a way that never makes them seem like the survivor or victim and a lot of men in general have this notion about themselves that they should never complain about something," Cota said. "I think that feeds into why men feel uncomfortable about this is that they can't really relate to the situation."
about, and it requires a lot of understanding, caring and empathy, and sometimes it's difficult for men to take a step back and say: I want to hear you out, I want to hear what you have to say about this issue," said Michael Garrett, a senior from Lenexa and Board of Class Officers President for the Class of 2015.
Garrett said he also believes that men have difficulty relating to some of the challenges that women face.
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Still other factors, such as a lack of education, can make men feel unprepared to engage in dialogues about sexuality and sexual violence.
"A lot of times it starts with a lack of education, and not knowing what sexual assault looks like," Garrett said. "A lot of guys think it's very common sense: you don't rape people. What a lot of men don't understand is that it really goes
much further than that."
There are men on campus that understand the importance of having these conversations and being a part of the solution.
In terms of working toward solutions, Jonathan Mosher, the president of Alpha Tau Omega, said it begins with men taking ownership of their role in the solution.
"Part of it is changing our language about assault and rape and consent; how many times have you said 'Man, that test raped me today?' And that's not rape," Mosher said. "Men need to hold each other accountable."
Changing the way men talk and think about women, on an individual level, may be another step in the right direction.
"The language we use every day will translate into what we're thinking, then ultimately into our actions," Harger said. "We need to be keeping people accountable on every level."
- Edited by Emily Brown
Students report mixed residence hall experiences
ALLISON CRIST
@AllisonCristUDK
For Elise Base, broken and leaking pipes were just the beginning of her problems when she moved into Corbin Hall.
Within a few days, Base, a freshman from Norman, Okla., and her roommate discovered mold throughout their room. In the midst of finding a solution for her dorm, Base found herself dealing with a different problem, this time in the lobby of Corbin.
"The RAs' had moved the couches in the lobby around for our floor meeting. Under one of the couches, they found a dead bat," Base said.
The resident assistants quickly disposed of the bat.
Some students have noticed problems living in residence halls, such as this dead bat found in Corbin Hall.
quickly disposed of the bat. Some students find themselves disappointed with living conditions in University housing, but there are advantages such as living close to campus and having prepared meals
"Things aren't perfect," said Jennifer Wamelink, associate
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
director for residence life. "We want to be responsible and we want students to enjoy their living experience in the dorms."
Wamelink said she had no knowledge of what happened, but she did admit that bats do sometimes get into the residence halls.
"When it does happen, we do a full investigation and treat the area," Wamelink said. "When the students are not present and the building is empty over summer vacation, the bats tend to migrate to the empty space."
Marissa Sartory, a freshman from Overland Park, said she enjoys living in the dorms and she hasn't experienced any problems while living in GSP.
Devin Steinhauser, a freshman from Kansas City, Mo., said she doesn't feel the same way about McCollum, where she lives.
Steinhauser said she heard negative things about McCollum Hall before moving
"It's always clean and kept up," Sartory said.
in, and once she made the move, Steinhauser discovered a leak. With her bed covered in water, she said she immediately took action to get it fixed.
"My roommate and I went to the desk and had a maintenance request. We asked twice and nobody showed up," Steinhauser said.
When maintenance came a few days later, they placed a bucket down for the water to fall into. Steinhauser said.
Wamelink said she is aware of the issues with pipes.
"In all of our halls, particularly on move-in day, the air conditioning is running and it collides with the warm, hot air that's coming in, causing condensation and water dripping," Wamelink said. "I'm specifically aware of this happening in McCollum."
"The dorms aren't in horrible condition," Griffith said.
this happening in the building.
Wamelink said while she did not hear about the specific situation, that's most likely what happened to Steinhauser.
The leak stopped once Steinhauser and her roommate configured their air
Wamelink said that despite McCollum being in its last year as a residence hall, she believes the dorm is in good condition.
"McCollum is in excellent shape. We have continued to
do updates, and even added newfurniture," Wamelink said, "But it is not a new building, or as renovated as some of the others on the hill."
she does not mind living in McCollum.
Cheyenne Griffith, a freshman from Topeka, said
Index
CRYPTOQUIPS 6
OPINION 4
CLASSIFIEDS 9
CROSSWORD 6
Edited by Rob Pyatt
SPORTS 10
SUDOKU 6
All contents, unless stated otherwise, © 2014 The University Daily Kansan
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