Sexual Violence- The Aurora Center
This past week, I attended the sexual assault presentation in the basement of Coffman Union. Since April was awareness month for domestic violence, the Aurora Center had plenty to share about spousal abuse, rape, and other instances of violence occurring in relationships. They also had plenty of handouts targeting each category of domestic violence, and were encouraging onlookers to fill out a question about prevention to be eligible for an ipod and other prizes. The Aurora Center is a sexual violence program that got its start after a case where three UM basketball players were convicted of rape. The president at the time wanted quick action so the students would feel safe. Since being founded, the Aurora Center offers training to volunteer peer advocates who also run a 24-hour crisis line. The center has worked in conjunction with the Hennepin County Sexual Violence Center and the University hospital, which contacts the Aurora Center every time a victim goes into the emergency room. Many times, a victim of assault or rape is often confused and doesn’t know where to turn, especially since they may be college. The Aurora Center along with the UM police offer transportation to the emergency room and to court for orders of protection. The University has established a sexual assault victims’ rights policy, and was actually the first college in the country to form a campus safety improvement program that perform safety inspections for all campus buildings. Other services provided by the Aurora Center include: arrangements for different housing, some tuition advice, classroom safety arrangements, filing complaints, and additional walk-in services.
The Aurora Center’s booth focused primarily on the feminist theory of abuse that I researched. The theory was that abuse is a demonstration of the structure of power created in a relationship. The victim is the passive, weak partner usually characterized as the woman, whereas the man is the superior, dominant perpetrator. This form of feminism also believes women’s position in society is based on the oppression from the patriarchal society. Essential to this belief is that women are dominated in all aspects of life, and men are looking only for control. The flyers that I received focused mainly on prevention tips for men such as: understanding the effects of rape, confronting sexist or racist jokes, not buying magazines that degrade women, supporting political figures that care for domestic violence, don’t exploit women sexually, etc.
Since I happen to be researching on domestic abuse, I thought it would be nice to share my opinion on how I could prevent violence; yet, I found it very hard to describe what I would do in the small space provided. As a guy, I think the first step in preventing abuse is by becoming aware of it. A class such as this allowed me to see the female side of current events, and really made me understand what they have to go through. After learning about power structures and patriarchal societies, I think it’s only appropriate for a guy to share what they’ve learned with their friends. This doesn’t have to be in a classroom type of setting. It can be in a bar, at a party, or at any game; sexist comments are commonly heard at these places, and they offer a good chance for a man to stand up against the sexist remarks. I think every guy should take the opportunity to either take a women’s’ studies class or attend an event sponsored by a sexual awareness group like the Aurora Center. I think their relationships would most definitely improve as the sex barriers representing control and power are broken down.