Administrators hosted a discussion forum last week with the aim of enlisting male athletes in preventing violence against women.
The event, held last Thursday in Goddard Chapel, marked the kick−off of the White Ribbon Campaign (WRC) at Tufts. The Department of Health and Wellness, the Athletics Department and the University Chaplaincy sponsored the forum, attended by players and coaches from the men's sports teams.
WRC is an international organization devoted to bringing an end to violence against women through public awareness and education, focusing on men's education. Jane Doe Inc., a Massachusetts−based nonprofit coalition against sexual assault and domestic violence, helped spearhead the campaign effort, according to Elaine Theodore, coordinator of the Violence Prevention Program at Tufts.
Theodore, who organized Thursday's event, saw it as an opportunity for men to speak out in order to change the climate of violence against women.
"I think that every male and every person can easily get on board saying, ‘I would intervene in these situations,' or call my friend on behavior that is explicit," Theodore said.
Theodore said that relationship violence, on which the WRC focuses, is easier for men to discuss than sexual violence.
"It's harder to get at conversations that involve things like consent and hookups and sexual violence," Theodore said. "I feel like this campaign opens a door in order to have those other conversations that are [a] little less clear."
Assistant Director of Athletics Branwen Smith−King worked with Theodore to reach out to the athletics teams. Smith−King was pleased by the willingness of coaches to get their students involved.
"When you're busy, you find time for the things that are important. I think that's impressive," Smith−King said after the event. "Some coaches were in season so they came right from practice. It was important to them."
University Chaplain David O'Leary and Athletics Director Bill Gehling welcomed audience members by reminding them that they are the university's natural student leaders.
"Every single one of us has women who we hold dear. These women have a right to feel safe and be treated with respect," Gehling told the audience.
Antonio Arrendel, founder and director of Metanoia Community Change, a Dorchester−based violence−prevention organization, delivered the forum's keynote address. Arrendel noted that unlike in past workshops at other institutions, the coaches showed a willingness to participate in the program, which he praised.
"The fact that the coaches didn't put up a wall shows leadership," Arrendel said.
Arrendel, himself a former college athlete, offered audience members an athlete's perspective on domestic and sexual violence, describing his own experiences witnessing violence in his hometown and during his college years.
He appealed to those in attendance to take an active role in combating violence against women by speaking out rather than behaving as bystanders.
Smith−King praised Arrendel's speaking style.
"It was to the point, it was funny, it was entertaining. I think it had all the ingredients to capture our attention. [The subject matter] can become very personal," Smith−King said.
When Arrendel asked those who have known a female victim of violence to stand, nearly every member of the audience rose.
"I knew that spousal abuse was out there, but I didn't realize the extent that it was," sophomore Kayin Cherry, who attended the event, said. "I didn't think that however many people that were out there would stand up."
Interim head football coach Jay Civetti, who also spoke at the kick−off event, said he believed there is a certain power in numbers.
"I hope it's something on−campus men see — that the athletes are standing up and expressing their beliefs in and expressing their support for the campaign and anyone involved in domestic violence," Civetti said. "It makes it easier for others to stand up and listen."
Sophomore Curtis Yancy said the event helped him realize the power male athletes had on campus to change social norms.
"We kind of create the ‘cool male culture' here, and we have control of that," Yancy said. "We can be the change if there needs to be one."
Audience members closed the event by rising to recite a pledge to stand up as active bystanders to prevent violence against women.
Volunteers from some sports teams this week will be distributing ribbons and pledge cards in dining halls and the Mayer Campus Center, asking students to commit to the campaign.
WRC hopes to expand its efforts in the Boston area, according to Theodore, who mentioned the possibility of future joint discussions with both Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
