Summer Hawkins, Public Relations major, Junior, 20:
·
What
gender do you most identify as?
“Female.”
·
Do
you feel sexual assault is a problem in Texas State University?
“Yeah, I
definitely think it’s a problem. It’s something a lot of people don’t talk about,
but I’ve seen a lot of things being said and just lots of things make it
evident to me that it’s a problem here.”
·
Do
you believe Texas State University does a well enough job of preventing future
sexual assaults?
“I think
they could be a lot clearer on the resources they have or the resources they
intend to provide because I know for a lot of people it could be confusing,
“How do I report a sexual assault?” or “What do I do if I’ve been sexually
assaulted?” so I think that could be something they could improve on.”
·
How
would you define sexual assault?
“Sexual
assault, to me, can be a lot of things. It could be rape, it could be getting
touched by someone in a way you don’t want. Assault means something physically
happened to you, and it doesn’t have to be violent, it just has to be a
physical touch.”
·
Have
you previously experienced or witnessed sexual assault? If so, explain?
“No, I
have not, but I’ve heard a lot of stories from men and women from being in Not
On My Campus so I feel like I have a pretty good idea of what it is and what it
entails.”
·
What
can you do, personally, to prevent sexual assault?
“I think
just being aware of where you are, staying with the people you came to a party
or bar with and not going off with people you don’t know, never taking a drink
from someone. Manage yourself and stay with people you know is probably the
safest way to take care of it.”
·
What
should Texas State University do to discourage/condemn sexual assault, and how
can they better
help the victim(s) on campus?
“I think
they should be providing resources like counseling and things like that because
right now you have to pay for counseling, so I think free counseling would be
super helpful. Speaking out and condemning the actions of people who’ve done
them and taking people’s reports seriously is important for the university body
to do.”
·
How
do you feel being a part of NOMC has changed your perspective on the subject?
“I think
it’s definitely changed my perspective about just having to have a group of
people supporting survivors and giving them a safe place to speak out about
what happened to them. We’re doing a Survivor Series right now and I got the
chance to read a girl’s letter about her sexual assault on camera because she
wasn’t comfortable doing it herself, so it was a really good experience for me
to see what other people are experiencing and our main thing is to just get the
word out to campus that this happens and it shouldn’t.”
Ingrid Lopez, Marketing major, Senior, 21:
·
What
gender do you most identify as?
“Female.”
·
Do
you feel sexual assault is a problem in Texas State University?
“Yes, it
definitely is a big issue.”
·
Do
you believe Texas State University does a well enough job of preventing future
sexual assaults?
“They
do a moderate job, but I don’t think they go the extra mile like they should.”
·
Have
you previously experienced or witnessed sexual assault? If so, explain?
“I’ve
never witnessed or experienced it, but I’ve heard a lot of different stories
from girls.”
·
How
would you define sexual assault?
“Any
unwanted touch by another individual that makes you feel uncomfortable.”
·
What
can you do, personally, to prevent sexual assault?
“There’s
plenty of apps nowadays you can use, always stay with a friend, don’t take
drinks from just anyone, and just stay with your people and have each other’s
backs.”
·
What
should Texas State University do to discourage/condemn sexual assault, and how
can they better
help the victim(s) on campus?
“They
should offer a class that teaches men and women about the dangers of sexual
assault and what all it entails. They could also implement more night security
to better protect students living on campus or just on campus later than
usual.”
Sasha Merritt, Political Science major, Junior, 21:
·
What
gender do you most identify as?
“Female.”
·
Do
you feel sexual assault is a problem in Texas State University?
“I feel
like I haven’t encountered it much here, but I do realize it’s a problem.”
·
Do
you believe Texas State University does a well enough job of preventing future sexual
assaults?
“The only
thing I’ve seen as far as spreading awareness is Not On My Campus, so I
definitely think they could be doing more.”
·
Have
you previously experienced or witnessed sexual assault? If so, explain?
“No, I
haven’t.”
·
How
would you define sexual assault?
“Anything
physical that I didn’t outright ask for.”
·
What
can you do, personally, to prevent sexual assault?
“Even
though there are preventative measures, I feel like there’s not really anything
anyone can do to actually stop a sexual assault. If they’re going to assault
you, they’re going to assault you.”
·
What
should Texas State University do to discourage/condemn sexual assault, and how can
they better
help the victim(s) on campus?
“I really
don’t think you can start the process now; college is too late to start. You
should’ve gotten this information in middle and high school, even just being
raised right. I think Texas State can start taking reports more seriously and
keeping them anonymous for the victim’s sake and comfort.”
Addison Thompson, Biology major, Junior, 21:
·
What
gender do you most identify as?
“Female.”
·
Do
you feel sexual assault is a problem in Texas State University?
“Yes, and
I don’t see any change in this because students aren’t being held accountable
for their actions.”
·
Do
you believe Texas State University does a well enough job of preventing future
sexual assaults?
“No, but
what can they do? The people committing these assaults know that they won’t be
held accountable so there’s not much Texas State can do at this point.”
·
Have
you previously experienced or witnessed sexual assault? If so, explain?
“Yes, and
that’s why I feel so strongly about this topic.”
·
How
would you define sexual assault?
“Any
sexual advances toward someone without their consent.”
·
What
can you do, personally, to prevent sexual assault?
“I don’t
believe there’s anything we can do to prevent this. Sexual assault is often a
situation where one person is vulnerable enough to be taken advantage of by
force, and no matter what we do to try and prevent it, someone will always fall
victim.”
·
What
should Texas State University do to discourage/condemn sexual assault, and how
can they better
help the victim(s) on campus?
“They need
to start thoroughly investigating the situation and if the accusations are
true, they need to expel these kids because they are a danger to other
students.”
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Abel Garza, Electronic Media Junior, 20:
Do
you feel sexual assault is a problem in Texas State University?
“Yes, it’s a problem.”
·
Do
you believe Texas State University does a well enough job of preventing future
sexual assaults?
“Yes? I hope so.”
·
How
would you define sexual assault?
“Any
sexual or perceptually sexual act that makes at least one person involved
uncomfortable, or where at least one person involved did not give consent to
the act.”
·
Have
you previously experienced or witnessed sexual assault? If so, explain?
“I
have not witnessed or experienced any sexual assault, no.”
·
What
can you do, personally, to prevent sexual assault?
“If
at any point it occurs, I have promised myself not to be a bystander, and to
actively solve the situation or help the assaulted out of the
situation. I could join an organization that prevents sexual assault, or at the
very least, support these organizations. I currently do not, however.”
·
What
should Texas State University do to discourage/condemn sexual assault, and how
can they better
help the victim(s) on campus?
“From
what I remember, freshman orientation had some presentations on this, and I
even remember having to take an online course, for seminar or something, that
taught us what to do in situations of sexual assault or drunkenness. I
thought it was a good idea, but I think they should talk about that more often
in seminar class and in general.”
·
What
measures are being taken about sexual assault that give you hope for the
future?
“There are
organizations here at Texas State that try to prevent as many cases of sexual
assault as possible, by raising awareness, helping survivors, that kind of
stuff.”
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Diana Friedman, Psychology Sophomore, 20:
·
Do
you feel sexual assault is a problem in Texas State University?
“Yeah,
it’s a big problem.”
·
Do
you believe Texas State University does a well enough job of preventing future
sexual assaults?
“[Somewhat]
but I think they can do more.”
·
How
would you define sexual assault?
“A sexual
advance and-or act that is not consensual.”
·
Have
you previously experienced or witnessed sexual assault? If so, explain?
“I was
sexually assaulted when I was 17 during my physics class.”
·
What
can you do, personally, to prevent sexual assault?
“I could
share my story and let people know that being sexually assaulted is a
traumatizing experience and leaves permanent scars. And actually, I’m [kind of]
glad you’re doing this interview, but it’s also uncomfortable, so it’s not
really going to be that easy, you know? But it needs to be done, things need to
be known.”
·
What
should Texas State University do to discourage/condemn sexual assault, and how
can they better
help the victim(s) on campus?
“Texas
State University could release more PSAs and expel students who sexually
assault others. And to help victims, there could be group meetings where
victims can safely speak and interact with each other, like a support group,
with no shame.”
·
What
measures are being taken about sexual assault that give you hope for the
future?
“Sexual
assault survivors are coming forward with their stories, which puts the
discussion in the forefront and lets everyone know that sexual assault is
absolutely terrible and shouldn’t ever be done. So things like the Me Too
movement really bring that to light and that’s just really great.”
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Kyle Grissom, English Sophomore, 19:
·
Do
you feel sexual assault is a problem in Texas State University?
“Yeah, I
think so.”
·
Do
you believe Texas State University does a well enough job of preventing future
sexual assaults?
“More
action could definitely be done.”
·
How
would you define sexual assault?
“Sexual
behavior that is directed at an individual who verbally or otherwise expresses
discomfort or resistance to the behavior.”
·
Have
you previously experienced or witnessed sexual assault? If so, explain?
“No,
that’s not an experience I’ve had, fortunately.”
·
What
can you do, personally, to prevent sexual assault?
“If I see
it happening, or witness a situation where it’ll happen, [I’ll] interject
myself to prevent it from escalating.”
·
What
should Texas State University do to discourage/condemn sexual assault, and how
can they better
help the victim(s) on campus?
“It should
continue to offer education on the subject and listen to victims to let them
know they are not alone.”
·
What
measures are being taken about sexual assault that give you hope for the
future?
"All
Title XI accusations must be reported by most employees at Texas State, so
that’s good. There’s also light training to properly handle the situation if it
arises, so it’s better than nothing, I guess.”
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Antuanette Sarmiento Gazzolo, English Junior, 21
·
Do
you feel sexual assault is a problem in Texas State University?
“Not
at the moment, no.”
Do
you believe Texas State University does a well enough job of preventing future
sexual assaults?
“Texas State is pretty good at talking about this stuff, so yeah.”
·
How
would you define sexual assault?
“Sexual
assault is forcing a sexual act on another without their consent.”
·
Have
you previously experienced or witnessed sexual assault? If so, explain?
“No.”
·
What
can you do, personally, to prevent sexual assault?
“Say
something if I see something. Conversely, if I see something happen and the
victim expresses that they would prefer to keep this private, I can personally
recommend completely anonymous means of getting help and accusing their
attacker. That being said, under Title IX, I am a mandatory reporter and must
report anything I see that
would put one in danger.”
·
What
should Texas State University do to discourage/condemn sexual assault, and how
can they better help the victim(s) on campus?
“Granted
it was a rumor I heard from one place, but I did hear the interim coordinator
of Title IX wanted to implement a forced meeting to make peace and talk out any
problem between victim and attacker. What Texas State can do is ensure that that is never allowed to happen.
If the victim is willing to have a mediated discussion, sure, but a forced one,
no matter the circumstance, should be
out of the question.”
What
measures are being taken about sexual assault that give you hope for the
future?
“Just
talking about it. Bringing awareness to the problem. Acceptance is the first
step, as they say.”
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