???This and every semester, The Spectrum reports on the sex crimes that occur on campus.
???"Student raped in North Campus attack."
???"Sexual assault reported on South Campus."
???"Second rape reported on South Campus."
???"No suspects in assaults."
???On and on it goes and it makes me sick.
???And if you think about it long enough, we should all be outraged.
???There have been two on-campus rapes this semester, countless others in years past. And these reports are daunting because, according to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), 60 percent of sexual crimes are unreported.
???Two reported sexual assaults mean that statistically, three more have occurred and have gone unreported. More are probable because college-aged women are also four times more likely to be victims of sex crimes, RAINN reports.
???Tuesday night's goal was to change that statistic for the better. At the 20th annual Take Back The Night, students, faculty and community members congregated in Harriman Hall hoping change those numbers.
???They marched in groups, as the women and men's basketball teams, sororities and fraternities, UB Libraries and Generation Magazine. They lit candles, marched with signs and banners and chanted charming penances of inspiration, all geared towards stopping the violence.
???Every semester, more students bring their friends, more volunteer and more get involved in events like Take Back The Night.
???Watching the crowd move along Main Street, past peers at Flip Night and neighborhood onlookers, something became apparent; that as this group gets bigger, as more people care and more people get involved and become informed, things aren't going to stay the same.
???As the rally ended, attendees were invited to come to the podium and speak. And though no victims told their stories, friends and loved ones shared for them.
???Unfortunately, those in attendance weren't the people who needed to be there.
???The outpouring of male support was amazing. But for every man who stood up and pledged to support his female counterparts, there's another who stayed home and mocked the event. One who will continue to tell sexist jokes, mock rape, accuse survivors of fabricating or exaggerating their stories and think he can get away with whatever he wants because he's bigger and/or stronger.
???Throughout the night, a bell consistently rang once every few moments, symbolizing the high occurrence of rape and sexual assault that still prevails. Until the bell stops ringing, more needs to be done to spread Take Back The Night's message to the general population; to strike fear into would-be perpetrators and to let both male and female survivors known that the community intends to support them instead of crucifying them.
???A member of the Men's Group stood up and quoted Edmund Burke:
???"All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing."
???Until every student and community member is outraged about the rapes in the area and on campus, the mentality surrounding will continue to masquerade as acceptable; that victims 'must have been asking for it' or are somehow to blame, and that it can't happen to you or someone you know.
???One in four women will be a victim of sexual violence in her lifetime as declared Thursday night. Think of the women you know: statistically, at least one has been a victim.
???More than anything, when someone reports being a victim of rape or sexual assault, the best thing to do is believe them and be there for them.
???Encourage reporting. Encourage talking about it. And always remember that the victim isn't to blame.
???Spreading this message to those who don't care or don't want to hear it can only help. Some people don't want to hear the statistics, the truth and the reality about rape and sexual assault - make them pay attention.
???Even one rape on our campus in our community.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
