By Juliana Stumpp

A&E Editor

During the month of April, both the Gender Equity Center and LGBTQA Pride Center are hosting events that every college student, male and female, should know about.

For many of us, our first moments at CSUSM began the summer before our freshman year with orientation. With all of the fun and excitement of attending college, we also learned about transitioning into college life and important issues such as sexual assault. Now that the school year is almost over and spring break was some students’ first experiences with partying, it is important to remember how critical and serious rape and assault is for our age group to be aware of.

Lea Burgess-Carland, the director of the Gender Equity Center, has participated in orientation programs and U-Hour events to promote awareness about cases of assault and rape.

“Although CSUSM is known for being the safest CSU campus, hundreds of our students are sexual assault survivors. While some enter college already having suffered a sexual assault, many will be sexually assaulted during their time here,” Carland explained. “Campus authorities will not know about the majority of those crimes.”

Carland explained that rape is an underreported crime, only about half of rape cases get reported. Also, crimes committed on campus are classified as campus crimes.

Take Back the Night is one of the biggest events geared towards taking a stand against assault. The event has become a campus tradition for six years due to the eye opening and powerful influences the speakers and topics have on the audience.

Being a survivor herself, Carland has found the event helpful for her healing process.

“I have attended a Take Back the Night every year for the past 18 years, and every year I find that after the event I feel lighter and more invigorated,” Carland said.

The goal of Take Back the Night is to have the victims reclaim the power that was taken from them. While the event is specific to the survivors, people that have not experienced sexual assault are impacted as well.

“What is unique about Take Back the Night is that every year will be a completely different experience, because there are new people coming together and speaking out,” Carland said.

In addition to Take Back the Night, the Gender Equity Center will have a showing of “NO! The Rape Documentary.” The movie focuses on African-American women perpetrated by African-American men, as well as how rape is used as a weapon of homophobia. The film was produced and directed by Aishah Shahidah Simmons, who is a rape survivor herself.

The screening of “NO! The Rape Documentary” is on Thursday, April 11 at 6 p.m. in the Gender Equity Center (Commons 203). Take Back the Night will be on April 18 starting at 5:30 p.m. in Library Plaza.

Redeem or educate yourself during the month of “Gaypril” with the many activities that the Gender Equity and LGBTQA Pride Center offers. Visit www.csusm.edu/geneq/home or www.csusm.edy/pridecenter/ for additional information.