A campus rape crisis center is petitioning that a member of their staff be added to a special commission which will review the student conduct code and present recommended changes to the code by mid-November.

The 17-member commission, created in response to the University of Massachusetts’ admission that it improperly sanctioned a student who allegedly confessed to an on-campus rape, will review the entire Code of Student Conduct (CSC) for the first time since the mid-1990s.

The Everywoman’s Center (EWC), said it has contacted the commission’s administrative leader, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Campus Life Jean Kim, who told the center she would not add a member of its staff to the committee, but has not given a clear reason why.

Kim did not return a call seeking comment yesterday.

“We have lots of ideas about how that code could be amended,” said EWC Training and Educational Specialist Angela Bruns, 30.

Though the commission does include a student member from EWC, educator advocate Kelleyanne Curley, the center is requesting that University administrators add a full-time EWC staff member and expert.

“I feel it’s really essential to have someone with that expertise on the commission,” said Bruns, who received a graduate degree from UMass and has worked for EWC for two years.

Without representation from an EWC staff member, Bruns said, “I’m afraid of [changes to the conduct code regarding sexual assault offenses] getting lost in the shuffle.”

EWC staff created an online petition, Ipetitions.com/petition/endsexualviolence, which had 500 signatures – about halfway toward their goal – as of Thursday evening. The petition will stop accepting signatures at the end of today and will be presented at an in-person meeting between EWC and Kim next week.

The center, which provides sexual assault crisis counseling and various women’s studies programs to on- and off-campus students and community residents, held a “Take Back the Night” rally earlier this month and complied around 100 signatures – separate from the ones on the online petition – during the event.

According to the petition, “[UMass’] current Code of Student Conduct concerning sexual assault is inadequate and does nothing more than state that ‘Sexual assault or any other uninvited behavior of a sexually explicit nature’ is a violation of the Code … [and] that a new sexual assault policy must be written, and that the expertise of a staff person from Everywoman’s Center is essential to the construction of a sexual assault policy that meets the needs of students at UMass Amherst.”

To raise awareness of the petition, junior Nina Goodwin, a 20-year-old public health major and educator advocate at EWC, created a Facebook group which had around 675 members as of last night.

“I think that what [UMass] is trying to do is great. But I don’t feel comfortable as a student and as a woman to not have someone who is an expert in this [on the commission],” Goodwin said. “I’m glad that [the issue of sexual assault] is staying fresh in people’s minds, but I’d like to see a lot more people on campus taking action.”

Both Goodwin and Bruns expressed disappointment about the University’s response to its mishandling of the alleged rape case, which made national headlines earlier this semester.

“It’s definitely frustrating, because I want to know that where I’m going to school is taking this seriously,” said Goodwin. “I wish they’d say a little bit more. I don’t really feel like I know why they’ve made some of the decisions they’ve made.”

“I think the Dean of Students office response to that was unfortunate, because I want to see perpetrators of sexual assault held accountable,” Bruns added. “I feel for them … There are certainly more things I’d like info about, but I understand there are boundaries.”

For continued coverage on this story, visit DailyCollegian.com’s special page, “Breaking the Silence.”

Matt Rocheleau can be reached at mrochele@dailycollegian.com.

On Oct. 16, a male student allegedly raped an ’09 female alum in the North Apartments Building C, according to the NECIR investigative piece reported in collaboration with other media outlets. (Nick Bush/Collegian)

A special commission, created in response to the University’s admission that it improperly sanctioned a student who allegedly confessed to an on-campus rape, will consider establishing minimum sanctions for serious offenses to the student conduct code and allowing for victims of a misconduct to appeal sanctions.

A 17-member committee co-chaired by Associate Chancellor Susan Pearson and Associate Vice Chancellor Center for Student Development Byron Bullock will review the entire Code of Student Conduct (CSC) for the first time since the mid-1990s and submit its recommendations to Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Campus Life Jean Kim by mid-November, according to information provided by University of Massachusetts spokesman Edward Blaguszewski.

Any recommended changes to the student conduct code would ultimately have to gain the Board of Trustees’ approval before their implementation.

The committee comprised of seven students, six administrators and four professors formed on April 8 with the official title of “Special Commission on Code of Student Conduct and Disciplinary Process.”

It will “consider a single code that governs the behavior of all students, undergraduate and graduate students regardless of residency … [and] review University Housing & Dining Regulations.”

The commission will review all sections of the “general procedures regarding disciplinary action” and will consider establishing minimum sanctions for the most serious “level 3” offenses, which include sexual assault, possessing weapons and distributing illicit substances. Members will also “consider including appeal rights and process for victims/survivors of a misconduct,” review regulations the code’s records and confidentiality section and review the roles and responsibility of student and professional residence life staff.

Committee members must “ensure maximum input and participation by students and staff groups (e.g., RAs, RDs, etc.) and relevant committees and departments (e.g., Student Affairs Judicial Issues Committee, SAJIC; Everywoman’s Center, etc.) in developing recommendations.”

The members are: undergraduate students Kelleyanne Curley, Modesto Montero, Melissa Urban and Josh Davidson, student and SGA President Elect Brandon Tower, student and GSS President Tiffany Yee, student and SGA Trustee Michael G. Fox, Assistant Professor of Educational Policy Research and Administration Benita Barnes, Assistant Professor of Microbiology Wilmore Webley, Assistant Professor of Communication Disorders Nate Whitmal, Legal Studies Lecturer Jerrold Levinsky, Director of Administrative Services in the Graduate School Office Susan Chinman,  Director of Student Legal Service Office Chuck DiMare, Dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences Bob Feldman, Associate Director for Residential Life Laura Giles, Director for Health and Wellness/BASICS Sally Linowski, and Ombudsperson Catherine Porter.

A male University of Massachusetts student confessed to raping a female friend and 2009 alum in the fall and was mistakenly given a deferred suspension, according to an investigative report published in late February. University officials allowed the alleged offender to stay on campus, a move that now has administrators reexamining UMass’ sanctioning policies and procedures.

At an emotional, one-hour discussion in early March, campus administrators were challenged with questions on how and why a student who reportedly confessed to raping a UMass alum last fall received “too light” of a punishment. (Hannah McGoldrick/Collegian)

The University has since said the accused student is no longer living on campus, but is still enrolled in classes. However, UMass declined to disclose when the student moved off campus, and if he did so on his own or if it was the University’s decision, but has said the move is permanent.

The incident occurred in the early morning of October 16, the Friday during homecoming weekend, in North Apartments Building C, according to the New England Center for Investigative Reporting’s (NECIR) story published in The Boston Globe.

The victim reported the incident to the Dean of Students’ office the following month, said NECIR’s report; however, then Assistant Dean of Students Christina Willenbrock gave the accused student a deferred suspension – a decision UMass officials have since said was too lenient, and have called the situation regrettable.

Willenbrock, according to prior reports, did not properly report her decision to her superior, Dean Jo-Anne T. Vanin, for approval, and gave the deferred suspension sanction – which notifies students that a subsequent violation of the University’s conduct code will result in suspension.

She no longer works in the Dean of Students’ office and instead is working for the school’s housing office. Campus officials continue to refuse to confirm reports that Willenbrock handled the case and also declined to disclose whether or not her relocation was the result of the alleged mishandling.

In early March, she reluctantly declined to comment on her reported handling of the case to Collegian reporters who visited her South Hadley home.

“The University won’t let me speak about it,” said Willenbrock at the time. “I would love to tell you all my opinions and thoughts on the matter, but I really can’t.”

UMass officials have thus far declined to comment on her statement, and Willenbrock has not been able to be reached since Collegian reporters spoke to her in early March.

Campus officials said the University cannot change or add to the sanctions already handed down through the student judicial system because there is no appeal process allowed to any person other than the accused – a process the commission will consider changing.

Kim said previously there was no one individual to blame for the mishandling. She said the blame instead goes to the set up of the administrative process, which University officials have since moved to correct by instituting a formal, written policy that mandates serious cases be reviewed by the Dean of Students before they are finalized.

For continued coverage on this story, visit DailyCollegian.com’s special page, “Breaking the Silence.”

Matt Rocheleau can be reached at mrochele@dailycollegian.com.

The performers of “Phallacies: A Masculine Performance” think it takes a real man to express his feelings and wear pink shirts. The performance of students concerned about dispelling myths about traditional male archetypes, held April 20 in the Cape Cod Lounge, sought to challenge the fallacies of traditional concepts of masculinity.

The performance consisted of two acts, with a mixture of sketches drifting between comedic and serious in nature, conveying messages meant to promote healthy male behavior.

According to a pamphlet distributed at the show, the more a man holds a strong belief in what the pamphlet described as traditional masculinity, the more likely he is to commit sexual assault, drive unsafely and abuse drugs and alcohol.

“When forming this group, we had several revealing discussions,” said University Health Services health educator and “Phallacies” performer Tom Schiff. “A group member brought up the idea that men had to decide often between being healthy and being traditionally masculine,” he explained.

Schiff said that he and his troupe ran with this paradoxical idea and incorporated it into their Tuesday performance, adding that he drew inspiration to create the compilation of sketches from the 1996 play about women’s struggles and relations “The Vagina Monologues.”

“Too often men don’t think about how it is to be a man,” said Schiff.

One of the more serious sketches the group performed was “Lessons from the Kickball Field,” where actor and UMass student Dennis Canty explained the pain of getting picked last for kickball in the fourth grade. Canty’s character explains that being picked last was a way to make him feel he was worth less than other students. The character explains that being discriminated against became a part of life as a gay adult man.

“Letters to Our Fathers” examined the relationship between a father and son, while “Crossing the Line” depicted a man being confronted by his friends about the abusive language he uses toward his girlfriend.

The mood was lightened with comedic sketches such as “That Guy,” which made light of the actions of a highly intoxicated guy at a party. Another humorous piece was “The Middle Stall,” where several actors portray the awkwardness and discomfort of using the middle urinal in a men’s bathroom, all to ask the question, ‘Why does is this an uncomfortable situation?’

“Testicle Talk” showed the humorous banter between the left testicle, “Lefty,” and his counterpart, played by Schiff. The pair encouraged self-examination for testicle cancer, a health risk for men.

“Hugging 101” showed the multiple variations of the male hug, from the awkward “A-frame” to the drunken group hug. The audience was subjected to witnessing two men wrapped in an intimate embrace for about thirty seconds.

The show discouraged the use of certain terms, like “no homo,” and phrases like “I’d hit that,” in a sketch called “Masculinguistics.” This sketch also examined how the history of some words, such as “suck,” actually perpetuates negative “masculinized” expressions through their users subscribing to pre-established codes of perceived male behavior.

The performance also explored so-called masculinities from different ethnic and class perspectives. In a sketch called “What’s Race Got to Do With It?” performers discussed topics including diversity among a group of Asian men sitting at a table together. A “yellow” performer explains that it is a “miracle” that at his lunch table are not just other “yellow” men, but Koreans, Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese all coming together, regardless of the various historic differences between their countries.

Meanwhile, a white man expresses his frustration with being what he calls “just another face,” and a “black” man articulates his struggle to reconcile his identity in what he considers a white man’s world, lamenting that, “To be a full man means to be a white man, anything else is less than, therefore, I feel less than.”

The play also sheds light on “the real cost of drinking” and focuses on how abuse can transcend the physical and include emotional trauma.

“I think they did a really good job representing different racial and class backgrounds,” said UMass alumnus Margo Bossom.

“This show is not a solution to sexism,” said Bossom, who works in community engagement, “but it is a good way to start talking about it.”

The last sketch, “From This Day Forward, “challenged the audience to initiate conversations challenging the traditional form of hegemonic, or dominant, masculinity.  

The end of the show was met with a standing ovation.

“I think the performance went really well,” said Scott Aldrich-Holmes, a performer. “This is the first time the group has performed as a whole.”

“[The show] was nerve wracking,” said Aldrich-Holmes, who is a member of the troupe for the first time this semester. “But I hope next time we are given a bigger venue than the Cape Cod Lounge.”

Phallacies was sponsored by the Center for Health Promotion, University Health Services, UMass and was funded in part by a grant from the UMass Arts Council.

Bobby Hitt can be contacted at rhitt@student.umass.edu. Jillian Pasciecnik can be reached at jmpasiec@student.umass.edu.

Dr. Harry Brod, a philosophy professor at the University of Northern Iowa delivered his presentation yesterday entitled “The Ethics and Erotics of Sexual Consent: Beyond ‘But We Were Both Drinking’” at the University of Massachusetts.

The purpose of the lecture was to deliver an anti-sexual assault message without preaching an anti-sex message; a message that in our society often misunderstood according to Brod.

His claim was that consent is needed and that even though consent can sometimes come as an awkward or clumsy gesture, it opens the doors for relationships and sexual activity to be more erotic and fulfilling for all parties involved.

Brod opened his lecture in the Mahar auditorium with a series of questions posed to the audience. He opened the lecture with the statement “No means ‘no’ and yes means ‘yes’.”

This provoked the question initially posed by Brod of when does yes mean yes and when does no mean no in regards to consent in a sexual encounter.

The audience responded to both these questions before Brod continued his lecture by asking the question “What if there is no “no” and no “yes”? How do we then determine consent?”

One audience member answered that body language was a determinant of consent in a situation where there is a lack of direct consent. However, as a result of his studies, Brod argued that “The only thing that means yes is a ‘yes’. Just because there is not a ‘no’ does not mean that there is a ‘yes’.”

Brod further went on to explain the affirmative consent standard, meaning that consent must be given in a specific, explicit manner; basically that sexual activity requires a blatant verbal statement of consent.

Brod explained that relying on  body language is too ambiguous in a situation where consent is required.  These reasons may be such as emotions, or a situation that is “hot and heavy.”

While Brod acknowledged sometimes body language can be interpreted, he argued that unless an action was crystal clear, body language is too vague to assume that a partner is consenting to any further sexual activity.

According to Brod, “Consent is not something you have. It is something the other person gives you, regardless of what you think the rules and regulations are.”

Brod added, “Body language must be so assertive that it will give consent… and cause us to question the other person’s consent.”

As a philosopher, Dr. Brod discusses the importance of epistemology, an age-old question of how we know what we know, both collectively and individually.

He claims that every initiator must have epistemological responsibility, or the responsibility to have the knowledge of the other person’s consent. In most situations, Brod argued we are held accountable for having a basic knowledge of the situation around us.  Brod provided the example of driving a car and knowing the speed limit.

Some in attendance blatantly voiced their opinions throughout the lecture, as well as in the discussion following the lecture. There was much debate over vocabulary used within the lecture as well as definitions that Brod provided to clarify the vocabulary of his choice.  Some audience members were so frustrated that they left Mahar.

However, Brod thanked the audience for their criticism and also invited anyone to speak with him after the lecture to further discuss their concerns.

Brod explained the situations when sexual assault is gender neutral; stating that the principles are always the same. But he addressed that it is more likely to report a male perpetrator.

One of the major points in the lecture was the dilemma of how alcohol affects the ability to ask for and gain consent. He compared impaired judgment to driving a motor vehicle, in the sense that even if you are driving inebriated but have not killed or hurt anyone yet, you are not smart just simply lucky.

In comparison, he said, if you have not explicitly gained a partner’s consent, you have not committed a sexual assault, but are simply lucky that it has not been reported yet.

“If you’re too drunk or high to know if you have consent or not and you initiate sexual activity, then you don’t know if you have committed a sexual assault. The only honest answer you can give when asked is ‘I don’t know’,” Brod said.

He adamantly explained that the initiator has the responsibility to know.

In order for his viewpoints to be put into action, Brod addressed that their needs to be a change of the way masculinity is viewed, presented and performed in society. According to Brod, men have generally been seen as the more dominant and powerful of the genders because of our historical societal structure.

He added that throughout history, there has been a known power balance between males and females as well as distinct cultural subordination of women.

He said that this is not the only instance of sexual assault, but is known most often in history.

Brod presented his personal opinion, believing that men have more of an obligation to gain a woman’s consent. He also offered that for social and legal safety, it should be assumed that everyone wants their consent to be acknowledged.

Brod made a series of philosophical remarks rather than providing statistical information to support his points.

Consent is a very delicate thing according to Brod, but it must be obtained before assuming, starting or continuing sexual activity.

Whether it is clumsy or awkward, he said, “When you ask, you don’t know what will happen but you know that there won’t be a rape or sexual assault. You know you are much safer.”

Ashley Berger can be reached at aberger@student.umass.edu.

Has anything ever been in direr need of a good public relations expert than the Roman Catholic Church? The days, weeks and months of bad press are just beginning to break my spirit. It has come to the point where I no longer even read the articles, just make my own conclusions from the headlines – it’s too depressing to read them. As a Roman Catholic, and someone who is relatively active and frequently attends Mass, I do not know how much more I can take. All this misguided anger at the federal government being a slow, corrupt and abusive bureaucracy deserves to be showered upon the Catholic Church.

I love the idea of the Catholic Church. In a perfect world, it would exist to stress its teachings: treat others as you would have them treat you; blessed are the poor, care for the poor and needy. At its very basic root, the Catholic Church is a huge engine for good. Its social justice platform is incredibly beneficial to greater society both here in the United States and abroad. But this is where the Catholic Church departs with reality.

I have been raised in the Church, from baptism through confirmation. My family is tied very closely to it as well. My mother’s parents were raised in Catholic dominated Ireland and they brought their faith with them to America. My father’s mother taught in a Catholic school for nearly twenty years, while his father grew up in an Italian immigrant home. We even used to do a watered-down version of the Feast of the Seven Fishes. My father used to serve on a board that met with Cardinal Sean O’Malley to help guide the archdiocese of Boston. I used to do readings at Mass all through high school and still attend mass every weekend when I am home.

In short, I am not someone who would lose faith in the Catholic Church very easily, but this past Easter weekend was a sort of tipping point. When scandal after scandal breaks, when more and more sermons concentrate on cultural and political issues, when the very man who is supposed to be God’s representative on Earth is unable or unwilling to take a proactive approach, it gets hard to take the Church very seriously. Three definite steps must be taken for the Church’s image to improve.

First, the Pope must come clean. It’s next to impossible to put such a celibate man in the same sentence as Tiger Woods, but Tiger answered all the questions that were asked of him. Yet, Pope Benedict’s reaction to the crisis in Ireland was a letter. It goes without saying that the Church is a backwards organization, but it really needs to enter the 21st century. If my father can pay his contribution of the weekly collection with a credit card over the Internet, then Pope Benedict can use the television or perhaps have a webcast shown for free around the world offering an apology and putting out an action plan.

Second, the Pope must convene a new council to seriously consider ending the celibacy requirement for priests. Deacons can marry and raise children, but priests are prohibited. 99 percent of priests may not be child abusers or inclined to commit sexual assault, but maybe ending celibacy will help prevent any other disgusting acts. It is also another way to rebuild the Church community – having a priest who is raising a family within a parish will surely strengthen the bond between a priest and his parishioners. The Vatican II Council allowed Mass to be spoken in a country’s vernacular language – a similar council could play as crucial a role in modernizing the Church.

Third, the pageantry of the Church must be sharply curtailed. Clips from the Pope’s Easter Mass just reeked of fake worship. Sure, bring out the pageantry every once in a while when a new Pope is chosen, but otherwise, keep it to a minimum. Watching the ornate, egotistic flaunting of wealth by the church makes me wonder where my money every Sunday goes. In light of the accusations against the Church, wouldn’t Jesus Christ prefer his resurrection be celebrated with reconciliation and righting years of wrongdoing than with an obscene ritual of wealth. It is altogether fitting that when the Pope was a cardinal, he was the one responsible for condemning liberation theology – an approach to religion built from the ground up, concentrating on the plight of the poor.

I will never completely abandon the Catholic Church. It means too much to my family. The idea of the Roman Catholic Church is awesome to behold. Imagine all the good it can do, the light it can bring to people’s lives. One does not have to be a true believer – I certainly do not agree with the Church’s stances against abortion, same-sex marriage, pre-marital sex, birth control use and other issues – to see the Church’s ability to be a force for good in this world. Right now, it is a laughingstock in America, and has a long way to go before reclaiming its former status. Perhaps with some strong, decisive leadership from Pope Benedict, the Roman Catholic Church can find its road to recovery.  

Nick Milano is a Collegian columnist. He can be reached at nmilano@student.umass.edu.

Vying for votes in today’s election, candidates for president and student trustee of the Student Government Association debated last night in the Student Union Ballroom at the University of Massachusetts.

Only the candidates running on tickets, Pat Kenney and D’Alessandra Acosta together and Brandon Tower and Mike Fox together, were present at the debate. According to Chancellor of Elections Jitesh Khushalani, student trustee candidates Andrew Dawson and Benjamin Chase had “prior engagements.” Candidates were aware of the debate date less than a week ago.

The candidates were questioned by debate moderator and Collegian Editor-in-Chief William McGuinness, UVC-TV correspondent Nicole Sobel, Collegian reporters Alyssa Creamer and Hannah McGoldrick, and several members of the audience. The audience consisted primarily of current SGA members

The debate began with introductions and questions to the presidential candidates, Kenney and Tower.

Kenney addressed his interest in organizing students to lobby state legislators to make the University more “affordable and accessible” to students.

When asked by Sobel how Kenney planned to make his belief that students should be able to graduate from high-quality institutions without excessive debt a reality for UMass students, Kenney responded with “we’d like to continue the way we have been, and we rallied around the $1,500 fee increase.” Kenney stated that he feels it is important for students to rally around issues involving fee increases and to have students be involved in the decision-making process through helping to facilitate conversations with administrators. He also stated that he and Acosta would be working to fight the potential School of Management and flagship fees.

Both presidential candidates and both student trustee candidates expressed their discontent with the pending Commonwealth College, flagship and School of Management fees. However, both tickets explained they would be in support of the proposed “green fee” at the University, which will be a $5, non-waivable fee.

Tower’s response to a question about how he plans to promote campus safety was to say that given the recent reports of the University’s mishandling of an alleged sexual assault case he feels as though protecting women’s safety is a priority of his potential administration. He said that he plans to develop a ride program that takes victims of sexual assault from the University to Cooley-Dickinson Hospital and have a trained employee from the Every Woman’s Center accompany the victim on the way to the hospital. He also suggested developing a social norms campaign comparable to the alcohol campaign about sexual assault. Tower continued to say that he wanted to create an environment that “made women feel safe about coming forward” with their stories about sexual assault.

Both candidates identified concerns regarding “ambiguous” or “unclear” language within the current Code of Student Conduct (CSC).

Tower discussed that charges within the CSC are all encompassing and need to be changed because offenses that are not as serious as others can be grouped in the same kind of charge.

Kenney said that there is currently no mention of sanctions for hate crime offenders, and that as president he would work to change that.

“It’s not that I am unable to pass any legislation through the senate,” said Kenney in response to a question about why Kenney feels qualified to be president when, according to SGA records, he has not sponsored a “single piece of legislation this year” from SGA Senator Derek Khanna. “As chair of the Administrative Affairs Committee, when you sponsor a piece of legislation, which I have, when it goes through the Administrative Affairs Committee and hits the floor as being sponsored by the administrative affairs committee.”

SGA advisor Lydia Washington asked Kenney and Tower “what are your plans on changing the [SGA] Constitution and bylaws?”

Tower stated that Administrative Affairs Committee Chairperson Jerrad Rose “is the powerhouse on my team” that “knows the bylaws inside and out.” Tower said he wanted to have training for new SGA members and some sort of mitigated punishment short of expulsion for SGA members who do not fulfill their roles properly.

Kenney stated that when he was chair of Administrative Affairs, the committee had discussed that a third party consultant should come in and rework the bylaws so that anyone could understand it.

“If you go through the bylaws there are tons of contradictions in there,” said Kenney. He also said that reworking the bylaws would have to be the mainly the responsibility of the Administrative Affairs Committee and not the executive branch of the SGA, but that he would offer his suggestions.

Acosta explained her interest in establishing a Trio program at the University, as well as set up a pipeline program for local high school students.

“It’s very near and dear to my heart to work with trio programs because it has helped me get to where I am now and help my brother and sister get to college,” said Acosta.

As defined on the U.S. Department of Education’s website, “The Federal TRIO Programs (TRIO) are Federal outreach and student services programs designed to identify and provide services for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. TRIO includes eight programs targeted to serve and assist low-income individuals, first-generation college students, and individuals with disabilities to progress through the academic pipeline from middle school to postbaccalaureate programs.”

Acosta has been working with OPSAS and other student agencies to create a posse program at UMass. “Founded in 1989, Posse identifies public high school students with extraordinary academic and leadership potential who may be overlooked by traditional college selection processes,” as stated on the Posse Foundation website. The program’s college partners provide four-year, free tuition scholarships to Posse Scholars.

Fox’s mission is to bring students who feel strongly about student issues to the board of trustees and foster better communication between students and himself as he represents the students.

“I don’t view myself as being the sole representative of the student body,” said Fox. “I want to be the conduit, the facilitator, I want to be the person that shows the trustees the faces of the students that are impacted by their decisions.”

Voting begins today. Elections are being held online on the University’s Campus Pulse site, and paper ballots are available at certain locations on campus.

Online voting through Campus Pulse runs from March 9th to 11th. Paper voting will be available in the Campus Center from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on all three days.

Editor’s Note: March 9, 2010. The original version of this article incorrectly identified Jitesh Khushalani. The article has been updated to reflect the correct spelling of his name.

CEOs and corporate hoes. Football bros and cheerleading hoes. GI Joes and army hoes. Golf pros and tennis hoes. These are just a few of the typical themed parties at UMass on any given weekend and ones a vast majority of the student body probably has attended at some point in their college career, or at the very least, have heard about.

For those of us who have attended one, we know that it is an opportunity for the young lady attendees to dress up provocatively for the male audience, get hammered and then dance sexually for that male audience. For those of us who haven’t attended one, we can observe from Facebook pictures the reality that I just described and agree that this is probably exactly what the party was.

When invited to these events, it is not a common thought to ponder what the name of the theme actually means. What we don’t realize is the sheer derogatory situation that we are putting ourselves into. Merriam Webster dictionary states that “ho” is simply an alternate form of whore, where whore means prostitute. Urban Dictionary, giving the colloquial definition, defines it as,  “A whore. A woman who uses her body, or gives the impression that her mark can be intimate with her, for material gain or  to boost her own ego.” While I think that the definition includes a combination of the both of the aforementioned, it is safe to assume that a “ho” implies that the girl in question is generally a provocative dresser, someone who gets around, and someone who doesn’t care who she sleeps with.

It is common knowledge that a prostitute is someone who is paid to have sex with random strangers and to dress scandalously. No one would want to be accused of being or called a prostitute because that conjures up a whole multitude of stereotypes that aren’t too hard to imagine. Despite any negative connotations, young girls on college campuses everywhere are quick to jump at the idea of being or dressing like a “ho” for a party. Is the line that unclear between two things where one is only slightly worse than the other?

We have digressed as a society. For the last century, we have fought for women’s suffrage, working rights and generally the right to have the same rights that men have. Women all over the world are still being oppressed by men and are still being silenced by men. Many societies in the modern world are still patriarchal communities. When we study these groups throughout history, we see that women are abused, degraded and exploited. Our gender roles are clearly defined: the dominant male breadwinner and the submissive domestic female.

Even with the recent sexual assault issue on campus, the themed parties are still extremely prevalent. These parties do nothing but feed the idea of gender roles where women should be submissive and that it is OK to flaunt yourself in nothing but a bra and a miniskirt or have casual sex for the sole pleasure of the guy.

 When we put the issue of gender in a specific context, most would agree that it is not OK that males should dominate over women because women are equals. In class discussion, we are quick to feel sympathy for the women across the world that are beaten or raped on a daily basis. It brings tears to our eyes when we hear stories of sex trafficking and the brutal attacks on women by their male counterparts. But when Friday night comes around, we are quick to put on our party gear and take a few shots in hopes of impressing someone from the male audience and going home with him.

Interestingly, and not surprisingly, the male partygoers are generally required to keep their clothing on. Most of the party titles’ implications don’t facilitate the need to wear any crazy, skin-bearing outfits or anything that your average 20 something year old wouldn’t wear to class or Antonio’s. If you research “theme parties” on collegetips.com, most of the party descriptions are clear to point out that girls dress “sexy,” but do not mention anything about the men. Maybe this is because men are perceived as the less sexy sex, but with these descriptions, it encourages women to be shown as sexual objects rather than people.

Though unfair and sad, the epidemic of themed parties will never stop as long as there are college campuses. Young women will continue to dress this way, whether it is for the shock value of the outfit or for the hope that they’ll attract a fine young stud.

Whatever the reasons – and wherever the campus – there will always be army, tennis, cheerleading, and corporate hoes, horny young boys to provide the beer and the house, and plenty of awkward morning afters as a result of the drunken night before. It is only up to the girls whether they think dressing this way is worth it or not.

Ashley Berger is a Collegian columnist. She can be reached at aberger@student.umass.edu.

The county’s district attorney’s office did not comment on a sexual assault case recently mishandled by campus administrators, but an official there said Friday that most instances of sexual assault require the victim’s consent and willingness to testify in court for the case to move toward prosecution.

A University of Massachusetts student confessed to raping a friend and former student in the fall and was mistakenly given a deferred suspension, according to an article by the New England Center for Investigative Reporting (NECIR) at Boston University published last week. University officials allowed him to stay on campus, a move that has been called “unacceptable” and now has administrators reexamining UMass’ sanctioning policies and procedures.

The victim in the case reported the incident to the UMass Police Department (UMPD), according to University officials. Though the victim decided against pressing charges at the time, she may still do so.

But, because more details about the case remain unknown – including the names of both the accused student and the victim – the district attorney’s office was not able to confirm whether or not they have had any involvement in the case, said First Assistant District Attorney Renee Steese of Northwestern District Attorney Elizabeth Scheibel’s office, and therefore declined to comment directly on the matter.

Steese confirmed that student judicial records – including testimony given by a student during their judicial hearing – can be subpoenaed by the district attorney’s office for criminal prosecution.

“If we’re engaged in a prosecution, we would make every effort to obtain that record,” she said.

However, in most cases, the district attorney needs to be contacted either by local or state police, a crime lab or the victim in order to press charges, Steese said.

“For us to conduct a prosecution, there needs to be a complainant,” she said. “We don’t hear about every sexual assault. Typically, we become aware of reports of sexual abuse through the police department, communications from the crime lab regarding DNA analysis, or from the victim directly calling the district attorney’s office or the state police detective unit assigned to this office.”

Steese also said that moving cases of sexual assault forward is often dependent on the victim’s desire to do so, as well as whether the victim agrees to testify.

“In the vast majority of sexual assault cases, the victim will be testifying at trial,” she said. “In a criminal prosecution, the victim is going to have to testify.”

In order to prove an accused person is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, “you have to have someone say ‘This person did this to me,’” added Steese. “You can’t have someone just say ‘Yes, I did this.’”

Victims are often reluctant to testify in such situations because of the trauma they’ve been through and desire to keep the matter private.

When considering whether or not to press charges, “The position of the victim on participating in the criminal process is given great weight by the office because of the nature of the offense,” Steese said.

Although the student in this case has not yet sought to press charges, she may still do so. The statute of limitations for rape in Massachusetts is 15 years.

Word leaked last week that the victim, a 2009 UMass graduate, provided information to the dean of students’ office, which handles disciplinary matters, last fall. While in most cases students are given more serious punishments for sexual assault offenses, this student was given a deferred suspension, which administrators have called a collective mistake and apologized for in an attempt to regain the faith of the student body. Several female students have also since come forward and said they have had similar difficulties presenting their cases to administrators.

Matt Rocheleau can be reached at mrochele@dailycollegian.com.

The University of Massachusetts administration allowed an allegedly confessed rapist to stay in school with nothing more than a deferred suspension. Upon hearing this, my first instinct was to break out pitchforks and torches and bear down upon the despicable scumbag who perpetrated this and see to it that he meets with an accident, followed quickly by an 11-month term in the flames and tortures of Gehenna, of course working to allow the bastard’s soul to be purified of his sin for entrance into Paradise.

            Luckily, cooler blood prevailed. At one point I asked myself: As opposed to what I wanted to do to the allegedly confessed rapist out of anger, what does the campus community really need? It doesn’t need a crusading college junior with a self-righteous sense of vengeance. It doesn’t need new administrative policies to expel allegedly confessed rapists. I had to find out what the campus community, especially its women, really needed.

            Now certainly, we need justice for the victim. I obviously don’t know who she is, but she has my sympathies for what I presume is her reasoning behind not pressing criminal charges: wanting to heal and move on with her life rather than repeatedly reliving her rape for the sake of satisfying the legal system. I wish her all the best in her life after UMass.

            I still had to find out what our community needed, so I asked UMass sophomore Alexa McKenzie. She explained to me how unsafe many women feel on the UMass campus.

            “I’ve definitely gotten those chain e-mails that say, ‘Never park next to a van, always check the back seat when you get into a car;’ there are a couple other things you’ll get in e-mails. I’ve had friends ­– girls – who will not walk across campus in broad daylight without holding a cell-phone conversation, so someone can hear their scream, or calling their friends to walk with them, because they believe it’s not safe to be alone,” she said. “I try not to buy into that, but I have to admit a certain feeling of nervousness when I’m walking on a street and there’s, specifically, a man trailing me, even from a good ways behind, and if they’re not distracted by anything else and don’t make any turns, I get nervous. And that’s not fair to me and it’s not fair to the guy I’m now nervous of.”

            Well damn. We don’t need angry undergrads or even a new administration. We need Batman. The very idea that any woman on this campus should have to live in fear, in the black of night or in broad daylight, is fundamentally and absurdly wrong. Yet statistics continually show that women are at risk. The National Organization for Women (NOW) says, “According to the National Crime Victimization Survey, which includes crimes that were not reported to the police, 232,960 women in the U.S. were raped or sexually assaulted in 2006,” and “women age 24 and under suffer from the highest rates of rape.”

            What this campus needs is a Take Back the Night march. Beginning as “a candlelight procession through the streets of Brussels,” the Take Back the Night movement believes in using marches, vigils and protests to showcase society’s solidarity not only with women but also with all victims of violence, especially sexual violence. Smaller events where men take to basketball courts at half time and vow never to rape just don’t go far enough. As McKenzie put it, “Personally, I don’t take many extra precautions, I do walk alone on campus at night, and I don’t know … basically, I feel like I’m taking a risk, but I’d rather take a risk than live in fear.”

            From her, I have heard of fears that absolutely appall me: Fear of walking alone, fear of being in crowds of people whom one doesn’t personally know, fear of being surrounded by drunken Southwesters on a Friday night, fear of parking next to a van and fear of being alone with strange men. These fears have sprung a reconstruction, a re-justification, of the very behavioral codes once considered so oppressive to women: Don’t go out alone, don’t put yourself forward, don’t say no, don’t talk to strangers, don’t befriend, don’t flirt and don’t dress immodestly.

            Enough is enough. Most fundamentally, we need to restore and strengthen our sense of trust in each other as members of a common campus community. Date rape, in particular, must be brought to a complete end, because as long as someone feels uncomfortable saying “no” and having it mean “no,” their partner can never truly know that “yes” means “yes.” Subjugation to fear must end just as more literal, violent oppressions did.

            Today, I feel ashamed of my campus and enraged at what it allows. However, we must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer, and I don’t want it to kill anyone else.

            Eli Gottlieb is a Collegian columnist. He can be reached at egottlie@student.umass.edu.

About this page | On February 25, 2010, The Boston Globe reported that a student who confessed to raping a friend on campus in Fall 2009 was allowed to remain enrolled as a student at the University of Massachusetts. Since then, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Campus Life Jean Kim has told The Collegian that the administration has put together a special committee to review the entire University’s Student Code of Conduct.

The Globe story was part of a larger project from The Center for Public Integrity and The New England Center for Investigative Reporting. Their year-long investigation found that, “Students found ‘responsible’ for sexual assaults on campus often face little or no punishment from school judicial systems, while their victims’ lives are frequently turned upside down.”

We wanted to try and create a space for constructive conversation about the policy changes that need to be made on this campus. On this page, we’ll be compiling the context through our coverage and that of other media outlets, and are asking members of the community to submit their comments about this important issue. Please add yours in the comments section, or by emailing managingeditor@dailycollegian.com.

DailyCollegian.com has also compiled a resources page for victims of sexual assault.

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Rape crisis center petitions for involvement in conduct code review

By: Matt Rocheleau
Published: April 30, 2010

Posted in Campus News, Local News, News, Comments (0)

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Student conduct code review to consider minimum penalties for serious offenses, victim appeal process

By: Matt Rocheleau
Published: April 26, 2010

Posted in Campus News, Local News, News, Comments (0)

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UM official who allegedly mishandled rape case no longer assistant dean

By: Hannah McGoldrick
Published: April 15, 2010

Posted in Campus News, Local News, News, Comments (0)

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District Attorney’s office discusses UMass rape situation

By: Matt Rocheleau
Published: March 07, 2010

Posted in Campus News, Local News, NewsComments (0)

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UM: No ‘magic bullet’ to regain trust after rape case mishandling (Video)

By: Matt Rocheleau, Alyssa Creamer and Hannah McGoldrick
Published: March 05, 2010

Posted in Campus News, Featured, Multimedia, News, Videos Comments (0) |

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UMass to hold open meeting Thursday on sexual assault mishandling

By: Matt Rocheleau
Published: March 03, 2010

Posted in Breaking News, Campus News, News Comments (0) |

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UMass mum on mishandling of sexual assault case

By: Matt Rocheleau, Alyssa Creamer and Hannah McGoldrick
Published: March 03, 2010

Posted in Campus News, News Comments (0) |

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Confessed rapist remains enrolled after administrative error

By: Matt Rocheleau
Published: February 26, 2010

A UMass Amherst student confessed to raping a friend and former student in the fall and was mistakenly given a deferred suspension. University officials allowed him to stay on campus, a move that has administrators reexamining UMass’ sanctioning policies and procedures.

Posted in Campus News, Featured, Local News, News Comments (5)

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COVERAGE AROUND THE WEB

More Campus Sexual Assault Coverage Links

Join the Discussion | The Facebook group “UMass Students Against a Campus Culture of Misogyny” was started last fall in reaction to a controversial cartoon in The Daily Collegian. Since then, it has become a space on the Web for UMass students and community members to discuss issues of sexual violence on campus.