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‘IT’S ON US’ Emerald Media

NEWS

APRIL 12, 2021

Monday Edition

April is Sexual Assa ult Awa reness Month, and UO adm in istrator s a nd students are advocating for a safer com m un it y.

UO’S TITLE IX COORDINATOR PG 2

A&C

OPINION

SUPPORT SYSTEMS FOR SURVIVORS PG 8

BEING A WOMAN IS SCARY PG 10

SPORTS

Q&A WITH KENNY JACOBY PG 11 M O N D AY, A P R I L 1 2 , 2 0 2 1

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NEWS

IN RELATED NEWS: SEPTEMBER 21, 2020 VOL. 122, ISSUE NO. 45

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A University of Oregon hiring committee wrapping up work in the law school while selected Nicole Commissiong as the university’s organizing virtual meetings with people she will next associate vice president, chief civil rights soon be working with. Commissiong does not officer and Title IX Coordinator. have specific plans for when she assumes the According to UO’s Title IX website, “Title IX is position on Oct. 1. She wants to consult others a federal statute guaranteeing equal access and and better understand the role first. opportunity in all higher education programs and “I don’t think that it would be fair for me to say, activities.” Title IX prohibits discrimination on ‘I want to change this now,’” Commissiong said. the basis of sex, which most often appears in the “I want to be in the role and live it with people form of harassment. and talk with people and Chief Human Resources get input before suggesting Officer Mark Schmelz where we should be chaired the 13-person making changes.” hiring committee, Commissiong said she according to an Around the will work with partners O article. The committee across campus to continue included faculty, staff, assessing resources and students and union ensure all students have representatives, Schmelz a good experience at the said. university. UO organized the large “It’s going to be committee due to the important for us to position’s key role on continue to provide campus, he said. Members resources specifically to had access to recorded students who are filing candidate presentations complaints and equally as and had opportunities to important for us to provide provide input. resources for students The committee who are responding to members also identified complaints,” she said. NICOLE COMMISSIONG qualifications for the new “Complainants and UO Title IX coordinator position, chose candidates respondents: they’re all of for virtual campus our students and we need visits and provided final to support all students.” feedback to UO President Michael Schill after the ASUO Communications Director Sierra interview sessions, Schmelz said. Goerlich hopes to see Commissiong consider all He also said that during the selection process students’ thoughts and opinions on universityCommissiong demonstrated an understanding wide decisions. of the technical and policy-related aspects of the “I hope to see more open communication with job. their position and the student body so that there “She also recognizes the power of partnership is complete transparency and that students’ with other campus units involved in the work and voices are being considered,” Goerlich said. the human element that is central to the work Commissiong has noticed fewer people and its impact on those who are involved in its around the law school lately, she said, and she processes, both complainants and respondents,” is concerned about student isolation during he said. “I’m confident she will ensure the office’s the pandemic. Mental health resources will be processes are accessible, understandable and important for student success this year, she said. approachable to those in need.” “Even if it’s not Title IX specific, supporting Commissiong first came to UO as an undergrad students and making sure those resources are in in 1993, and she has worked as an assistant dean place is going to be important,” she said. at UO’s Law School since 2009. Comissiong Goerlich thinks UO needs to be more vocal has served as a deputy Title IX coordinator and about its Title IX-related resources. appeals officer, according to an email from Schill, “The Office of Student Advocacy has been where she worked closely with the Office of doing a great job promoting resources for Investigations and Civil Rights Compliance. Soon, students recently,” Goerlich said, “and I hope to she’ll be leading the office. see more of this from UO to ensure that students In preparation, Commissiong has been are fully aware of all resources available to them.”

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“Complainants and respondents: they’re all of our students and we need to support all students.”

Around OR REGIONAL AND STATE NEWS CONTRACTORS DEMAND $110 MILLION FROM NIKE: Nike and its general contractor are facing up to $110 million in liens filed by construction companies and design firms claiming they were not paid what they were owed for work on the company’s Beaverton headquarters expansion, The Oregonian reported. The largest claim at $48 million comes from Hoffman Construction, previously Nike’s longtime contractor and the contractor for the newly renovated Hayward Field in Eugene. – ARDY TABRIZIAN NO. 19 OREGON BASEBALL WINS RIVALRY SERIES: This weekend, No. 19 Oregon baseball won consecutive games on Friday and Saturday to clinch a series win against rivals No. 21 Oregon State. In front of almost 1,000 fans at a sold-out PK Park, junior Cullen Kafka worked out of trouble on the mound to secure the victory, improving his record to 4-1. With Saturday’s win, the Ducks’ season record extends to 18-7. – CHRIS BROUILETTE

(Kevin Wang/Emerald)

‘JOURNEYS TO JUSTICE’ OPERA: Portland Opera will livestream “Journeys to Justice,” a 75-minute production of art songs — vocal music compositions — and opera selections starting April 16. The production will consist of six pieces composed in the late 20th or early 21st century that deal with the American Black experience, including “The Talk: Instructions for Black Children When They Interact with Police,” written by the opera’s artistic advisor Damien Geter. – SARAH-MAE McCULLOUGH

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GUEST OPINION

CALLING ALL SEXUAL VIOLENCE SURVIVORS BY JOZIE DONAGHEY

The author recognizes that sexual violence affects people of all gender identities, not just women, with LGBTQ+ people being disproportionately affected. The author is writing from her perspective as a cis woman. Content advisory: sexual violence, rape (Jozie Donaghey/Ethos Magazine)

Hello, my name is Jozie Donaghey. I am the photo editor for Ethos Magazine, an independent student-run publication at the University of Oregon. I am a Eugene local, a Girl Scout of 15 years and an artist. I am also a sexual violence survivor. I never wanted to be a “victim” of sexual violence. Honestly, I never wanted to be a sexual violence “survivor” either. But having experienced two assaults and one rape before entering high school, being a survivor was a part of my identity from an early age. I just didn’t know it at the time. In fact, it wasn’t until 2018 when I went to my first Take Back the Night, an international event to raise awareness for sexual violence, that I learned I had been a rape survivor since I was 14 years old. I attended the Take Back the Night event at the University of Oregon as a photographer my freshman year of college, looking to build my portfolio. But during the open mic part of the event where survivors shared their experiences with sexual violence, a women told a rape story that sounded exactly like something I’d gone PA G E 4

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through. When I was in eighth grade, my “mature” high school boyfriend stuck his hand down my pants and vaginally raped me with his fingers on a group date at the Putters Family Entertainment Center in Eugene. Back then, I hadn’t known it was rape because the rape I was used to hearing about was done by predators in dark alleys or frat bros in locked bedrooms at parties. I didn’t think boyfriends could rape their girlfriends, much less in a public place with witnesses. But hearing this survivor’s story made me realize what happened to me was rape. Learning I was raped was devastating, but it allowed me to realize that what I was experiencing — chronic nightmares, trust issues, constant fear for my safety — wasn’t normal, but signs of post-traumatic stress disorder. Learning I was raped allowed me to seek help and go to therapy. Learning I was raped allowed me to understand how to treat and recognize my trauma. The woman who shared her rape story at Take Back the Night gave me a gift. She normalized my experience and put a name to it. This allowed me to move forward and for the first time in

six years I felt in control of my life. When I learned Take Back the Night wasn’t happening in-person this year, I wanted to create a way for survivors to still share their testimonies publicly. That’s why last term, I started a project with Ethos where survivors of sexual violence in the UO community could write for the magazine about their experiences. I hoped these stories would empower participants and help survivors who read the stories start to heal in the same way I started to heal when I went to Take Back the Night. Now, Ethos is expanding the project and is accepting submissions from sexual and domestic violence survivors from all of Lane County through at least the end of May, for the online version of our project. Survivors have complete control of the content they share and the type of piece they submit and will have anonymity options. We can provide writing assistance if needed, and survivors are free to pull out of the project at any time. When survivors of sexual and domestic violence stand together and refuse to be silent, we have power. When we share our stories, we take

back so much for ourselves: our stories, our autonomy and our power. And by taking those back we create space for other survivors to come forward as well. Not only have survivors who’ve participated in the project so far felt empowered by the experience, they enjoyed getting to know other survivors in the process. So, we also created a survivor support network for everyone in the project through a private Facebook group, providing a community of support, understanding and camaraderie for those involved. I know firsthand how difficult sharing our stories can be, but we are not alone. Sexual violence affects everyone, regardless of gender, race or sexuality. According to a campus climate survey done in 2015 and 2019 by the Association of American Universities, 1 in 3 undergraduate women, 1 in 16 undergraduate men and nearly 40% of LGBTQ+ students experience sexual violence before graduating. That’s just in college, not before, after or including those who didn’t even enroll, with students of color being disproportionately affected.

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(Jozie Donaghey/Ethos Magazine)

But you’ve probably heard these numbers. People know the statistics, yet the numbers don’t change. My hope with this project is to put actual people and testimony behind those statistics to show survivors they are not alone and make it difficult for people to ignore the pervasive issue of sexual violence. Every day, more people become sexual and domestic violence survivors. It’s clear that hearing the statistics doesn’t prompt change; the numbers alone are no longer enough. People need to see survivors, hear survivors if we want to make a difference. I refuse to hide in the shadows of sexual violence. I refuse to be silent, forgotten or pushed to the side. I refuse to allow society to forget and I refuse to do nothing. I implore you to join us in making change and taking back what is ours. For more information about Ethos Magazine and the Taking Back Our Stories project, email photo@ethosmagonline. com or submit an interest survey at tinyurl. com/EthosTBOS. For more information about virtual Take Back the Night events in Eugene, visit the UO Women’s Center

website at blogs.uoregon.edu/women. Ethos Magazine is a publication of Emerald Media Group, along with the Daily Emerald.

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COVER

‘LOOKING OUT FOR EACH OTHER’

SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS MONTH

UO administrators, students and UOPD are all taking steps aimed at reducing sexual violence on campus. BY MIA RYDER-MARKS• TWITTER @MIARYDERMARKS

On a typical day on the University of Oregon campus, many students pass between buildings and dining halls carrying pepper spray or personal alarms on lanyards beside their student IDs. On the way to their cars and bicycles, keys grip between knuckles and ‘text me when you get home safe’ requests are said in muscle memory as they depart from their classmates. UO, like many other college campuses, represents another place where individuals must be vigilant. 13% of all students will experience a form of sexual assault during their time at a U.S. university, according to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network. April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, a nationally recognized time dating back to the 1970s. Yet, despite its decadeslong history, the month of advocacy and educational initiatives remains relevant. The facts are clear: more than one-quarter of women and about 7% of men undergraduate students will experience sexual assault on campus, and nearly 10% of women and about 3% of men of graduate students reported similarly, according to RAINN. Rates of sexual violence against transgender, genderqueer and non-binary students are even higher at 29%. During April, UO’s administration and student groups will hold a series of events, ranging from open discussions on sex, consent and healthy relationships to the national event “Take Back the Night.” These efforts aim to raise awareness for all types of sexual violence and, in turn, promote an open conversation about how students can prevent sexual and intimate partner violence and advocate for a safer Duck community. “Social distancing does not mean that you are alone,” according to the UO’s Office of the Dean of Students’ website. “We are here for you. Preventing sexual violence requires all of us, especially now.” SAAM goes beyond April The Campus Climate Survey is a national survey that helps universities understand and measure their strengths and weaknesses. The survey showed that UO has made progress in reducing sexual violence on campus compared to previous years, but there is still room for improvement. The survey showed that the rate of nonconsensual

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sexual contact decreased between 2015 and 2019. Additionally, students who participated in the survey said they had knowledge on how to support their friends who were sexually assaulted, and 65% of students felt campus officials would take their report seriously. Kerry Frazee, UO’s director of sexual violence prevention and education, said that it is “not a day event. Prevention is something that takes place around the clock.” UO provides multiple advocacy and educational initiatives that promote and implement a traumainformed and student-centered approach. Many students approaching services have experienced some type of trauma, Jessica Haymaker-Parsons, UO’s sexual violence support services director, said. Haymaker-Parsons oversees a team of advocates that aid students who have experienced sexual violence, dating violence, domestic violence or stalking. The group offers assistance for survivors who experience financial burdens and provides safe accommodation options if they live with their perpetrator. They also offer health services and work with faculty to mitigate any academic impacts due to an assault. “What we’re trying to do is mitigate any sort of re-triggering or reactivation they might experience after the traumatic events,” Haymaker-Parsons said. “We’re also trying to translate what trauma looks like to professors and departments in case they are seeing students re-experiencing things during class.” UO provides multiple reporting methods for survivors who would like to report an incident and seek justice through the UO adjudication process. “We have different types of reporting to really keep students at the center of holding their story and sharing with the people that they’re choosing to share with,” Frazee said. Designated reporters are those individuals who are “obligated to report student disclosures to the Title IX office if they have reportable evidence of prohibited conduct,” according to the UO Office of Investigations and Civil Rights Compliance website. This means they are required to report any incident of assault or sexual violence for a formal investigation. Designated reporters include the president, vice president, deans

of units and athletic directors. Another option is student-directed employees, who offer individuals resources and support but won’t file an official report unless the student asks them to. Lastly, confidential employees have similar responsibilities as student-directed employees, but they are legally protected from being compelled to disclose information unless the student asks them to. This group is composed of advocates in crisis intervention, sexual violence support services, lawyers, health professionals and counselors, Frazee said. “We know that the first person that a survivor shares their story with has a really big impact, and it can influence the survivor’s healing,” Frazee said. UO student groups work throughout the year to increase awareness on prevention and policies and to advocate for survivors. During the second week of spring term, UO senior Robynne LaPorte introduced her club, Sexual Violence Prevention Policy and Activism: a student group that advocates for survivors and resources at the university. During the meeting LaPorte discussed the restorative justice model the university has begun implementing. This model is an alternative process which entails survivors and perpetrators joining together with mutual consent and going through a healing process with an off-campus mediation service. Not everyone chooses to pursue restorative justice, but it can promote healing if both parties are willing to go through the process. “I really like the restorative justice idea, because it just gives another option for survivors,” LaPorte said. In the first two terms attending a university, college students are more likely to experience sexual violence of some kind, according to RAINN. UO works to combat these statistics by prioritizing education during IntroDUCKtion, the UO’s orientation program for all freshmen. New students attend Get Explicit, a program that educates students on by-stander intervention, consent and the role of alcohol in sexual misconduct, each year during IntroDUCKtion. The program sets a precedent for what UO expects, LaPorte said. Nathaniel Blair, a member of the Organization Against Sexual Assault, said he thinks the decrease in sexual

COVER

(Courtesy of Kerry Frazee) Robynne LaPorte, a senior at the University of Oregon, recently established and created the new student group, Sexual Violence Prevention Policy and Activism. (Madi Mather/Emerald)

assaults at UO could be attributed to Get Explicit. In January, students reacted with fear and anxiety to a number of now-debunked social media videos claiming to show abductions. Despite the falsity of the videos, UOPD still saw the need for prevention resources for students and revamped the Rape, Aggression and Defense training, a self-defense class for women. On April 12 at 6 p.m., UOPD will hold a virtual training to teach UO students the basics of self-defense and safety awareness. Regarding long-term reponses to assault on campus, UOPD is drafting the Police Department’s Sexual Assault Reduction plan. Administrative Captain Jason Wade leads the two-prong initiative that focuses on prevention and apprehension. The prevention initiative is a proactive approach that seeks to stop sex crimes before they happen. To do so, UOPD intends to increase awareness of existing resources such as Duck Rides. The apprehension side is reactive in that it begins after police receive reports that a crime has taken place. Investigators will seek to narrow in on the individuals who commit sexually violent crimes. Police on this team will work in conjunction with stakeholders like Title IX coordinators and the district attorney’s office to create a plan for criminal investigation and prosecution, Wade said. Another aspect of the apprehension approach is that UOPD is working on creating a fulltime position for its detective sergeant, the primary investigator for sexual assault on campus. The position is currently part-time. “It’s showing that we’ve got a systematic approach to how we’re going to try and reduce sexual assaults on campus and then show that to the community,” Wade said.

“It’s On Us” In a UO lecture hall, instrumental music lulls in the back as students of all grade levels, races and gender identities share their experience with sexual assault, whether as a spectator or survivor. The speakers coax viewers to continue an open conversation about the critical issue of sexual assault on college campuses. More importantly, they are spreading a message that Ducks support and stand up for each other regarding sexual violence. “We say something; we do something,” they repeat. This video is part of UO’s campaign to create a safe and sexual assault-free campus — better known as the ‘It’s On Us’ campaign. The campaign emphasizes that sexual assault prevention is a collective action. Frazee said that the long-term response for eliminating sexual assault is continued investment and effort to ensure a culture of care on campus. “An issue doesn’t ever graduate, harm doesn’t just graduate in the same way that a student might graduate and continue,” she said. Also, sexual assault prevention cannot stick with the same rinse and wash cycle. Frazee said it is vital for the university to continue evaluating its efforts, including student feedback and staying culturally relevant with the campus’ needs. Haymaker-Parsons said that SAAM is filled with conversations around sexual assault and urged students to use the UO 24-hour hotline (541-346-SAFE). Both LaPorte and Blair said that checking in with friends, validating survivors experiences and offering support is vital. “In the month of April, it’s important to raise awareness and to be highly aware of offering care for our peers,” Frazee said. “Use this time to be looking out for each other and to be offering support as much as possible.”

SAAM EVENTS Sex Cafe: Conversations with Women; April 12 at 6 p.m. Sex Cafe: Conversations with Men; April 12 at 6 p.m. Rehearsal for Life Workshop; April 13 at 7 p.m. Supporting Survivors in the Era of #MeToo; April 15 at 2 p.m. Navigating Quarantine Chaos as a Survivor; April 21 at 6 p.m. Take Back the Night (virtual event); April 26 at 6 p.m.

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A&C

LOCAL SUPPORT SYSTEMS FOR SURVIVORS

These UO and Eugene-area organizations offer support for survivors of domestic and sexual violence. BY GRACE MURRAY • TWITTER @GRACIEE_MURRAYY

Resources for Survivors Womenspace: - Call Womenspace’s 24/7 hotline at 541-485-6513 or toll free at 800-281-2800. - Visit their website at https://www.womenspaceinc.org/. Sexual Assault Support Services in Lane County: - Call the SASS’ 24/7 hotline at 541-343-7277 or toll free at 844-404-7700. - Visit their website at http://sass-lane.org/. UO Counseling Center: - For a same-day consultation with a therapist, call 541-346-3227. - Visit https://counseling.uoregon.edu/ for more information. UO’s Help for Victims and Survivors webpage: - Call their 24/7 hotline at 541-346-SAFE (7233) to speakwith a counselor. - Visit https://safe.uoregon.edu/ for information about available resources.

(Will Geschke/Emerald)

Throughout the University of Oregon community, both on and off campus, there are different kinds of support for anyone who has been impacted by sexual assault, domestic violence or sexual violence. There are various support groups, crisis and safety lines, counseling, legal assistance and much more available. Most of these services’ websites have emergency exit buttons that navigate away from the site and onto a general page such as YouTube or Google immediately if needed. Womenspace Based in Eugene, Womenspace is a center that offers “Safety, hope and healing for survivors of domestic violence,” according to their website. They offer a 24-hour crisis hotline and support in English and Spanish over the phone and in an online chat for accessing support and connections with other community assistance. Along with crisis support they also have several support groups for Spanish speakers, men, parents and for PA G E 8

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intimate partner violence education. Their services also extend to help with restraining orders and emergency housing assistance, rural outreach, youth services, training and education. Sexual Assault Support Services in Lane County SASS is a Eugene-based service that serves all of Lane County with a myriad of services including support for survivors of sexual assault and their families. Along with a crisis hotline they also offer legal and medical advocacy, support groups, workshops and counseling. Their support groups include a LGBTQIA+ drop-in group twice a month, a women’s drop-in group twice a month and a general group for support and skill building. Their workshops specialize in helping survivors and their families, spouses, caregivers and partners. Due to the pandemic, their counseling services can be accessed via their emergency hotline. Access to their services can be found on their website and social media.

UO Counseling Center In the heart of the UO campus is the counseling center, accessible to all students regardless of where they are located. Counseling services can be accessed via telemedicine and a crisis line in all 50 states and internationally. In addition to traditional counseling, the center also offers self-help resources online with coping and wellness strategies as well as access to an online college-based support system called Collegiate Recovery Center. They also hold the #MeToo Support Group, a group geared toward students of all genders and identities that have experienced unwanted sexual experience at any point in their lives. UO’s Help for Victims and Survivors UO developed a website filled with resources for survivors and their friends and family as well as UO faculty and staff. Their resources cover everything that is available on

campus along with many off-campus resources all on one website. They have a confidential 24-hour hotline for counseling, to offer support and to assist in mapping out further options. Their webpage has a quick guide for all available services that includes contact information and addresses sorted out by the different avenues of information including legal, medical, forensic evidence, criminal processes, crisis as well as on- and off-campus guides. They also have a weekly campus-based student group for empowering survivors that is meant for survivors of sexual assault and allies called Empower UO. The site is geared toward helping inform survivors of their options for support and guidance within the community and beyond. These services support both students and nonstudents of all genders and identities throughout the UO campus and Eugene community. If they do not fulfill someone’s specific needs, they offer advice to help find alternate resources to cater to most issues and types of support.

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To learn more, contact Darren McMahon at (541) 346-7682 or mcmahond@uoregon.edu To get started, visit goarmy.com/rotc/pb11

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OPINION

OPINION: BEING A WOMAN IS SCARY Groening: We don’t have the luxury of being alone and also feeling safe. BY ELIZABETH GROENING • TWITTER @ELIZAGROENING

“

I thought nothing bad could ever actually happen to me.” ELIZABETH GROENING

(Makena Hervey/Emerald) Content advisory: Sexual violence, assault In the fall of my freshman year of college, a fear was instilled in me that I have yet to shake as a grad student. It was when a tall man holding a large black briefcase came to one of my sorority meetings and said, “Look around at all of your new sisters. Not all of them will survive the next four years of college.” He then unveiled the pink tasers and cans of pepper spray that he’d brought for us to purchase. As the salesman proceeded to list off terrifying statistics of the number of college-aged women who get sexually assaulted and/or killed every year, a chill went down my spine. I couldn’t help but wonder if it would be me or one of my new friends who wouldn’t live to walk across the graduation stage. Despite my trepidation, I didn’t buy what he was selling. I thought nothing bad could ever actually happen to me. Surely, someone was going to the fraternity houses, too, teaching the men how to treat women respectfully. I couldn’t have been more wrong or naive. I quickly learned that being a woman also means living in fear. Two years before I arrived on campus, a fraternity displayed a banner at a party that read: “No means yes, yes means anal.” Although that frat’s horrifying behavior resulted in their removal from campus, the actions of the remaining brotherhoods were no different. I tried to always stay with my group of girls, keep an eye on our drinks and not PA G E 1 0

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wear outfits that would draw attention. All I wanted was to have fun, but any time I’d fail to do any one of those things, something would end up happening to me or one of my friends. Let’s just say that 85,000 women get raped every year and sadly, in 2016, I became part of the 90% that knew (and trusted) their perpetrator. Needless to say, I dropped my sorority and rarely went out after dark — even to the library. The pepper spray salesman was right. I needed to be more afraid. Ironically, I was out of my parents’ house but still living under a curfew. English journalist Caitlin Moran accurately compares this feeling to being put inside of a cage when the sun goes down. She said, “A young woman, out at night, on her own, is a potential future tragedy.” Just last month, on March 3, 33-year-old Sarah Everard was walking home on the streets of London after 9 p.m. She was then kidnapped and murdered by a man, who, disturbingly, was a policeman. On March 10, her remains were found in a builder’s bag. Moran explains that tragedies like this are why women fear men: “We know if you decide to kill us, there’s not much we can do. Every time the murder of a woman is reported on the news, we hear the detail, ‘Traces of skin were found under her fingernails, denoting a struggle’ — and we know…that’s all we can do. Scratch.” What happened to Everard is terrifying, but not surprising. It’s what women prepare for whenever we

go outside, even during the day. Once, while walking across campus in broad daylight, a man I didn’t know took my phone out of my hands, called his number so that he’d have mine and threw my phone back in my direction. By the time I got to the library, he’d sent me an inappropriate photo. Another frightening incident took place at a movie theater when I went to an afternoon showing by myself. There was no one else in the theater except for me and the waiter who came in to take my order. I remember thinking he was nice when he told me he liked my smile. I thought he was generous when he brought me food I didn’t order. But when he sat down next to me and grabbed my leg, I froze in fear. Just because I’m a woman and I’m alone doesn’t mean I want to be bothered. Much less touched. Afterwards, I criticized myself for what happened, regretting my acceptance of the free popcorn. Those situations aren’t uncommon. A recent United Nations study found that 97% of women ages 18 to 24 have experienced sexual harassment in public. Any form of sexual harassment or abuse is violating. When I was little, movie theaters were my happy place. Now, I’m haunted by them. Unfortunately, it’s taken experiences of everyday sexual harassment, as well as what I went through my freshman year, to make me aware of what men are capable of. But being aware doesn’t mean I feel safe. I don’t know if I’ll ever have the privilege of walking alone and not feeling scared of what’s around the corner.

SPORTS

Q&A: USA TODAY’S KENNY JACOBY The former Emerald sports reporter has carved a role at USA Today specializing in investigative journalism on college athletics’ mishandling of sexual assault cases. BY SHANE HOFFMANN • TWITTER @SHANE_HOFFMANN Kenny Jacoby is a University of Oregon and Daily Emerald alum. After serving as a sports reporter and editor at the Emerald for some time, he began his career as an investigative reporter in 2018, helping to uncover a story on UO tight end Pharaoh Brown and his acts of violence. After leaving UO, Jacoby worked for GateHouse Media’s national data and investigative team before transitioning to USA Today, where he’s spent time covering covering issues in the criminal legal system, higher education and sports, including sexual assault cover-ups in the NCAA. His series “Predator Pipeline” has garnered several awards for investigative journalism and his ongoing work surrounding LSU is making headlines across the U.S. as his team’s work has led to several firings and regulatory changes.

we’d reported. The review came out in March and it’s been kind of non-stop ever since that. We learned about Les Miles, we broke that news, and people have been fired and have resigned and been suspended since. Now it’s at the legislature where a bunch of lawmakers have been holding hearings and calling LSU officials to testify. That’s kind of where we are now, the story that never ends. Do you see this type of reporting becoming a bigger focus amongst student journalists and journalism schools? I do think so, especially for journalists who are in college. I think people, just in the past few years, have started to really see college sports in a different light, partly because of all the abuse that’s been uncovered at different universities. And the way college sports has become such a lucrative industry, only for the coaches and the administrators and not for the athletes. I think it’s more important than ever possibly that sports journalists have that sort of training and have that eye for looking out for abuse and injustice instead of just focusing on the team. I hope it does become more mainstream [for] sports journalists especially to start doing watchdog-type work as well.

When did you make the transition from pure sports reporting to investigative journalism, what was the breakthrough? I would say the pivotal moment was probably when I was at the Emerald and we published our investigation into Pharaoh Brown. That was the first investigative story I’d really ever done, and it was one of my first times kind of reporting on the dark side of college sports and preferential treatment and abuse by athletes and potentially members of the staff. After that, I’ve kind of gotten a series of tips, one after another that are in a similar vein and one of those was LSU, over a year ago now. Started reporting on it, and here we are. It was actually a tip that one of the people on the sports desk had gotten, that there had been a police investigation into Brown for strangling his girlfriend. He had learned from a few people around the program that Brown had also beat up some of his teammates including punching Matt Logan, the kicker, so hard in the head that he got a concussion. We kind of thought: “Okay, there’s a pattern going on here, and why has the school not done anything about it? This guy’s still like the fan favorite, the star of the team.” We said if we can verify all three of these, then I think we have a story. Ultimately I spent hours and hours calling people on the phone, former football players, stalking their Facebook pages and trying to talk to their friends, just doing anything we could to try and run this down. Finally,

after like two months, we being abused by a football (Courtesy of Kenny Jacoby) were able to get it and it was player there and the school only out of our desire to get that story wasn’t doing anything about it, was out that we did that investigation. At covering it up. I got the tip because the time we didn’t even realize what we I had worked on a series of stories were doing: investigative reporting. The right before that about sexual assault response to the story was so interesting in the NCAA and the parent had read and so big that it crashed the Emerald that and reached out to me. From website. I was just kind of hooked after there it was just a matter of trying to that. build sources, gather public records Ever since, I’ve really learned a and police reports and disciplinary lot about the dynamics of gendered records and try and figure out what violence, sexual assault and was happening. We found that there trauma and the impact trauma has was a number of football players that on the brain. Having that whole had been accused of sexual assault, understanding and honestly, practice and the school hadn’t done anything speaking with survivors and others about it. As we reported more and affected, I needed those skills and also more, we learned that this was not public record skills when it came time just an athletics issue either, it was to do this LSU story. the whole university systematically mishandling and ignoring allegations The LSU story has been a sort of of sexual assault. breakthrough for you, take me through We published a big story about rape that process. What went into it and allegations against Derrius Guice in where’s it at now? August and followed that with what was our signature story about the It all started with a tip that I got problems across the whole school. from a parent of a student at LSU Then LSU hired an outside law firm who said that his daughter was to conduct a review of everything

What message or advice would you pass on to young journalists hoping to learn more and break into this style of journalism? Well I think it starts with acknowledging that there is an injustice in college sports that underlies the whole enterprise. It has a foundation of injustice. Once we come to accept that then I think it becomes easier to start to identify areas where abuse is happening. If somebody is only focusing on what happens on the field, that’s exploitative, right? You’re making money off it, the school’s making money off it, everyone is making money off it except for the people who are actually playing the sport. I would say rather than coming into sports journalism with a focus on the sport itself and your passion for that sport, come into it wanting to do good journalism, and then it’s easy to do both. You can cover the games and hold people accountable. It helps to know how to use public records, how to conduct an accountability interview, how to do research, how to dig. M O N D AY, A P R I L 1 2 , 2 0 2 1

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