As students return to campus from spring break, outreach groups like Feminista and Family Services are working with the community of Greencastle to raise awareness about domestic violence and sexual assault for April’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month. One of the goals of this year’s event organizers is to unify these various interest groups to gain more momentum and engagement from the DePauw and Greencastle communities. Meadow Gray ‘25, a member of Family Support Services, says that she saw a need for “a direct line of communication between all of the groups [on campus]” when she began planning for this year’s events. Gray and other organization leaders on campus are motivated to unify their interest groups to “make a bigger impact… and include the DePauw community and Greencastle community.”
Alongside Family Support Services, another prominent organization on campus called Feminista is co-hosting multiple events this year. They have collaborated with the multicultural sorority Omega Phi Beta to organize Take Back the Night, a walk around campus that raises awareness for domestic violence and sexual assault. Take Back the Night was supposed to occur on March 14 but was postponed due to the weather. Updates on the rescheduled event will be posted. Another important event for Feminista is the Spring Wellness Fair tabling event, where they will be offering literature on sexual assault awareness and providing resources and connections for students and community members.
Feminista Vice President Jay’la Teasley ‘25 also stressed the importance of collaborating with other interest groups on campus. They hope collaborations become more common so that “[our work] reaches all different identities and communities on campus.” Collaborations have helped many interest groups on campus reach communities. These communities formerly had minimal connections and access to resources and knowledge on sexual assault and domestic violence.Teasley and Gray hope these efforts to unify groups on campus will make healthy relationship resources and support systems more accessible for all.
The Women’s Center is also hosting a screening of a pertinent film called “The Bystander Movement.” Gray explains that the movie is relatable to college students because we often witness instances of sexual assault as bystanders. She also states that the film starts a conversation concerning “our role in the situation [of domestic violence] because it doesn’t just pertain to the person that was harmed or the perpetrator, it is the environment that we live in.” She expresses a necessity for making these risky environments safer for everyone with an emphasis on DePauw’s campus.
Family Support Services is also having a fundraising event on April 13th. Proceeds will go towards providing better services to their clients and resources to students of DePauw University and the Greencastle community. Engagement with these organizations and involvement from the student population help make DePauw and Greencastle a closer community and strengthen the network of support for survivors of domestic and sexual assault. For those interested in getting involved and supporting groups like Family Support Services, Feminista, and Omega Phi Beta, refer to this event calendar or these groups’ social media platforms for more information.