The Sexual Violence Prevention and Awareness Coalition at Hopkins and JHU Student Life hosted sexual assault awareness activist and speaker Angie Epifano yesterday evening.
Author of “An Account of Sexual Assault at Amherst College,” a publication in the Amherst Student that attracted national attention in the fall of 2012, Epifano is a former member of the class of 2014 at Amherst College.
Dean of Student Life Susan Boswell introduced Epifano to the audience in Mudd Hall.
“In Angie’s terms — and I really resonate with this — [sexual assault] is a human rights issue,” Boswell said.
Epifano began her presentation by relating her own experiences with sexual assault at Amherst during her freshman year and detailing the subsequent discrimination she faced from students and administrators alike when she tried to report the case.
The issue of sexual assault, according to Epifano, is much more prevalent on campuses nationwide than most administrations are willing to let on.
“One in four women will survive a rape or attempted rape by the time they graduate college,” Epifano said.
Epifano emphasized the need for a change in the way cases of sexual assault are perceived and discussed on college campuses.
“It is so important to break the silence [surrounding sexual assault],” Epifano said.
Several audience members found Epifano’s story courageous and compelling.
“Angie’s speech was both moving and powerful,” Senior Class President Sean Glass, who attended Epifano’s presentation, wrote in an email to The News-Letter. “Her story about her own experiences with sexual assault helped me to realize that rape, harassment and sexual assault are much more prevalent in our society than I formerly thought.”
Sophomore Lisa Lacampagne, a student member of the coalition, agreed.
“Having her share such a personal story will hopefully make other survivors be able to talk about their experiences,” Lacampagne said.
Lacampagne also felt that Epifano’s message would definitely resonate in the Hopkins community.
“Many cases of sexual assault have happened this year, and even if people aren't aware, most people know a survivor or are a survivor of sexual assault,” Lacampagne said. “Like Angie said, rape or attempted rape will happen to one in four women and one in seven men by the end of their college career. These statistics probably match the rates at Hopkins, even though the reporting rates are very low.”
“I hope [Epifano’s story] will also keep the administration accountable to keep advancing how they deal with sexual assault to limit its effect on students here,” Lacampagne added.
Glass also expressed optimism about the way the University would deal with sexual assault going forward.
“I hope that as more students become aware of the seriousness of the issue, the Hopkins community can stand together to overcome it,” Glass wrote.
