Susan Youssef     Take Back the Night I am happy to be a University of Virginia student for many reasons. One of them is that I go to school with University of Virginia men. They are among the brightest students, most talented athletes, and most capable leaders in the country. U.Va. men, your brilliance is why I ask for your contribution. I am working for something I cannot do without you. I am working for an issue that concerns you and those you love. It is an issue underlying your daily life, whether you know it or not. It is sexual violence. Some fast numbers: according to a study conducted under the direction of Kent State University psychologist Mary P. Koss, one out of five women is raped at some point in her life; one out of four is a college woman; one in every twelve men admits to having fulfilled the prevailing definition of rape or attempted rape, yet virtually none of these men identifies himself as a rapist; one from six to ten men is a victim of sexual violence. These statistics mean that not only are a lot of men committing sex crimes, but a lot of men are victims of sexual assault. These men are your brothers, fathers, uncles, friends. Therefore, this issue cannot help but concern men. Unfortunately sexual violence is recognized as a women's issue, though sexual violence is really a human issue. And because it is a human issue, it must include all people. Fifty percent of the population is not enough. Recent articles about sexual assault in The Cavalier Daily have been focusing on the possible involvement of the notorious drug rohypnol. Yet the need for sexual assault education and prevention is rarely mentioned in these articles, nor are the resources available to women who have been raped. Furthermore, the problem is isolated as a concern for university women only. In an April 9th article, it was reported that "officials confirm [the] role of chemicals in [the] alleged assault." Charlottesville Police Detective Richard Hudson stated: "I think it [rape involving rohypnol] probably has been going on, and it is important to us that girls are careful and are not victimized this way." Why isn't there any commentary on the dynamics within the Charlottesville community that are conducive to this happening? Why is there no statement made regarding the men who commit these crimes? Why is there no discussion of our need as a community to work against sexual violence if it is occurring? This is not the only example of negligence of the issue of sexual violence at U.Va. The only mandatory education regarding sexual assault is a 15 minute talk that Sexual Assault Facts and Education (S.A.F.E.) educators give during first year orientation. But now there is an opportunity to raise awareness of the need for sexual assault education and prevention at the university with the Take Back the Night March. This march will take place Thursday, April 17, at 6:30 p.m. The rally begins in front of Charlottesville City Hall and proceeds to the Rotunda, where a candlelight vigil and speak-out for survivors and their significant others will be held. A shuttle bus will run from the U.Va. chapel to the march site between 6 and 7 p.m. every 20 minutes. We invite you to join us in this protest of violence, the reclaiming of public space, and the honoring of victims and survivors of violence. In the words of Andrea Dworkin, founder of the Take Back the Night March: "We are living under a reign of terror. Now what I want to say is that I want us to stop accepting that that's normal. And the only way that we can stop accepting that that's normal is if we refuse to have amnesia everyday of our lives ... and we get up in the morning, determined that we are going to do something about it."

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