Staff Editorial | Addressing the violation of our safe spaces

Vassar College prides itself on having an accepting culture. Our celebrated beer-brewing founder, for example, is an indication of a self-consciously fun-loving, open campus.

The recent discovery of swastikas emblazoned on the walls of a Lathrop House stairwell, however, frightened and enraged many students. In a reassuring step forward, students organized a demonstration in the house parlor to reclaim campus spaces as “safe space.” Hate speech in the form of offensive drawings, this demonstration insists, have no place in an area that students call home.

This violation of our home reminds us that Vassar is not always as safe as we would like to believe. A culture of acceptance presents the challenge of determining what is actually acceptable. The current recognition of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence, an international human rights campaign, calls attention to the discrepancy between our ideals of “safe space” and our campus reality.

Our heralded sex-positivity at Vassar brings us safe sex advice, condoms on the doors of our dorm leaders and frequent lectures on how to enjoy an exciting sex life. Events such as SEXPO, Squirm’s “Hot Chocolate,” and observance of World AIDS day on Dec. 1 are aimed to celebrate and educate about safe, fun, consensual sex.

The 16 days awareness period, however, serves as a powerful reminder that sometimes sex is not consensual, fun, and safe. For example, what happens when a hyper-sexualized environment widens the range of acceptable sexual behavior to the point of degradation of both women and men as well as sexual violence? The safe space that the accepting culture claims to construct is shaken by sexual assault.

The active response of students following the graffiti in Lathrop should inspire more activism on campus. It is critical that we no longer seek out residual spaces but encourage and create them where we are.

For example, traditional Residential life sensitivity training was this year extended to include elected house team members. Also, student leaders in Raymond are spearheading a movement to increase the number of peer allies on campus. Modeled on a popular “Safe Zone” program used at other colleges, volunteer students receive intense sensitivity and lifestyle training, increasing their ability to support and empathize with other students and creating a greater community of tolerance in the dorms.

It is also important that students be able to look to all authority figures on campus as sources of support. A Department of Justice grant that guaranteed funding to security officers for sensitivity training only did so for two years. Officers learned integral and advanced skills to work with and relate to student concerns on campus. At the end of this academic year, it will be up to the College to provide the funds to sustain this vital training. The school should make every effort to do so, and extend it to professors and administrators. All members of the community should be able to look to one another as resources, and it should not be assumed that faculty members’ concern for their students ends when they leave the classroom.

Creating a broader understanding of what is happening on the Vassar campus and a broader system of support would serve as a point of unity. In recognizing the importance of ensuring the safety and comfort of every student everywhere on campus, we can hope to create a truly safe space.