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The Daily Northwestern DAILYNORTHWESTERN.COM
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Find us online @thedailynu
Survey finds widespread sexual misconduct By ALICE YIN
daily senior staffer @alice_yin
Nearly one in three women have been groped without consent while at Northwestern, according to findings from the University’s 2015 Campus Climate Survey on Sexual Misconduct released Monday. The survey was circulated last spring, representing the first large-scale effort to study NU students’ perceptions and experiences of sexual misconduct issues, said University spokesman Al Cubbage. “The report is a start, and we definitely want to continue collecting this info and listen to what our community is saying about what’s missing,” Renee Redd, director of the Women’s Center, said. “Students are the most important group that we need to listen to.” Title IX coordinator Joan Slavin, Provost Daniel Linzer, Deputy Title IX coordinator Tara Sullivan and CARE director Erin Clark said they were unable to comment on the survey Monday. About 15 percent of undergraduate and graduate students, or almost 3,000 people, responded to the optional study, with more than one in five undergraduates participating. Redd said she found some of the survey results a troubling indication of the school’s current attitude. Only 7 percent of students who experienced sexual misconduct indicated they formally reported the incident. Reasons for hesitation include not believing the incident was serious enough (68
Source: Northwestern University 2015 Campus Climate Survey on Sexual Misconduct Graphic by Rachel Dubner/The Daily Northwestern
percent), that the act was not malicious (53 percent) and that they were reluctant to instigate legal and disciplinary action (45 percent). “It’s widely accepted that sexual misconduct, sexual assault, is the most underreported crime,” Cubbage said. “It’s a national issue, and I think the results here at Northwestern are really very similar.” About 82 percent of undergraduate
females and 42 percent of undergraduate males reported they think there is a chance they will encounter sexual misconduct toward them on campus. Out of the female undergraduates, 11 percent reported being taken advantage of sexually, and 26 percent admitted to experiencing sexual harassment. For male experiences, 4 percent have been taken advantage of sexually, and 7 percent have been sexually harassed.
When asked directly about if they had been touched or fondled without consent, students reported higher numbers. Nearly 31 percent of female undergraduates said they have been touched without consent and 9 percent reported experiencing sexual intercourse without consent. Among male undergraduates, 9 percent reported being fondled and 2 percent reported sexual intercourse without consent.
“We are all concerned for that 31 percent figure that said they experienced someone touching them without their consent at Northwestern,” Redd said. “We have this perceived scale of what’s serious and what’s not serious. … But those are legally part of the definition of sexual assault.” Nationally, a survey administered by the Association of American Universities across 27 colleges reported 27 percent of females have encountered a form of sexual misconduct, with about 7 percent of females reporting unwanted sexual intercourse. Medill senior Haley Hinkle, who serves on the Campus Coalition on Sexual Violence, said although she is glad the University was transparent with the survey’s results, she found them deeply concerning. “We confirmed some of the unfortunate things happening in the community,” said Hinkle, who worked last year to recommend the survey to NU. “Seeing that there are people uncomfortable in our community was not a good feeling this morning.” When the question broadened to include any attempt at sexual misconduct, the numbers rose. Thirty-six percent of undergraduate females said they had someone attempt to fondle them forcefully, and 12 percent said they had someone attempt sexual intercourse without consent. For male undergraduates, 10 percent said they have encountered someone attempting to touch their body without consent, and 3 percent said they have encountered someone attempting sexual » See MISCONDUCT, page 7
Vaisman remembered Display fuels suicide dialogue for passion, dedication By MARIANA ALFARO
By BENJAMIN DIN
daily senior staffer @benjamindin
Even after Medill Prof. Cecilia Vaisman was diagnosed with breast cancer, her commitment to her students and her passion for her work didn’t waver. Katherine Nagasawa (Medill ‘15), who had Vaisman for an audio documentary class her junior year, said she turned to Vaisman for help when she wanted to make her own independent documentary. When Vaisman took a leave of absence due to her illness, she stayed in touch with Nagasawa, guiding her through the process. This summer, Vaisman even met with her to discuss the project. “This was when she wasn’t very strong, and she only had two or three good hours each day,” Nagasawa said. “She set aside those good hours for me that one day. It was very selfless of her, and I’ll always remember the fact that she did that in her last few months.” Vaisman, 54, died Sunday after a
Source: Medill on Facebook
Cecilia Vaisman
two-and-a-half-year battle with breast cancer. A love of teaching and a dedication to her students defined her time at Northwestern, those closest to her said. Vaisman, whose work and teaching focused primarily on audio documentaries, started teaching at NU in 2010 and took a leave of absence after teaching her last class during Winter Quarter 2015. Born in Buenos Aires and raised in northern New Jersey, Vaisman spoke Spanish, Portuguese and English and taught a variety of courses at NU, including audio documentary and bilingual reporting classes. “She lit up a room, whatever room she was in,” Medill Prof. Douglas Foster said. “She had that combination of Argentine discipline and grace, and some Jersey swag.” Students, colleagues and family remember Vaisman for her fierce dedication to her students. Nagasawa said she asked Vaisman to be her faculty advisor because of the audio documentary class she took with Vaisman. Vaisman went on to mentor Nagasawa while she interned in Argentina and after she graduated. “Very vivacious, she was very energetic,” Nagasawa said. “She was very warm and caring. You could tell that she really deeply cared about her students and about their personal successes. She wasn’t really looking out for herself.” Before coming to the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications, Vaisman worked at NPR and co-founded independent production company Homelands Productions. She » See VAISMAN, page 7
Serving the University and Evanston since 1881
daily senior staffer @marianaa_alfaro
More than 1,000 backpacks were laid on Deering Meadow on Monday in memory of all the college students who die by suicide each year. The traveling exhibit, Send Silence Packing, is hosted across campuses by Active Minds, a national nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness about mental health. This was the first year the exhibit stopped at Northwestern as part of an effort by NU’s Active Minds chapter, University administrators and Associated
Student Government to continue conversations about suicide prevention. Weinberg senior Shannon Grogans, co-president of NU Active Minds, said the display’s powerful representation of suicide gives people a better idea of how important it is to have conversations about mental health. “I previously had no construct of what 1,100 backpacks actually looks like,” she said. “People drop statistics all the time, but it’s much more powerful to have a visual representation.” The event had been in the works since Spring Quarter, when Active Minds approved NU to be on the exhibit’s tour schedule, Grogans said.
Alison May, assistant dean of students, said she hopes the exhibit will encourage students to seek help for their mental health concerns. Send Silence Packing pins stories of students who died by suicide to backpacks lying on the ground. These stories are written by friends and family members who donated the backpacks in memory of their loved ones. “In so many of these stories, no one had any idea,” May said. “It’s so sobering to see a graveyard, literally, of backpacks. … We really hope that just even one student who might not have spoken up or » See SILENCE, page 7
City hosts statewide arts summit By ROBIN OPSAHL
the daily northwestern @robinlopsahl
Evanston Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl spoke to a crowd of artists and art-lovers from across the state Monday morning about the crucial role art plays in a community. Tisdahl spoke to more than 300 people in the ballroom of the Hilton Orrington hotel, 1710 Orrington Ave., at the inauguration of the One State Together in the Arts conference, a series of events hosted by different cities in Illinois every other year. This is One State’s first time hosting the conference in Evanston. “Arts and culture make cities livable and people better,” Tisdahl said. “That’s why we’re so happy to have One State Illinois here today.”
Tickets for the ninth biennial One State conference sold out before the event began. The conference — hosted by Arts Alliance Illinois and the Illinois Arts Council Agency — is intended to bring artists, professionals and citizens from across the state together to meet and collaborate on artistic works during breakout sessions. Programming also includes a series of keynote speakers, performances and local art tours over the course of the two-day conference. Ra Joy, the executive director for Arts Alliance Illinois who used to live in Evanston, said the city was chosen because of its support for community art initiatives and local artists. “We’re all with One State because we’re all people who deeply care about the culture of this state,” Joy said. “Evanston is a great place to show off the culture of Illinois but also show what community
engagement in art looks like.” The conference opened with performances by Cocodaco Dance Group, an Evanston dance company based at Foster Dance Studios, and Light Opera Works, a local professional nonprofit theater. Tisdahl and local arts managers also spoke about the different creative endeavours in Evanston and the support they get from the city, Northwestern and community. “People here are passionate about arts and get involved,” Tisdahl said. “You don’t need to convince them about importance. If anything, they feel guilty if they don’t do enough with the arts here.” Along with showcasing Evanston’s community art projects and performances, the conference focused on providing artists with resources and connections to survive and succeed in the » See ARTISTS, page 7
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