September is Katy Benoit Campus Safety Month at the University of Idaho, created after student Katy Benoit was killed in an act of intimate partner violence by her professor in 2011. UI held its annual march on Tuesday, Sept. 9, with international sexual abuse advocacy group Take Back the Night, to honor her memory and show solidarity for victims. This worldwide organization promotes the end of sexual and domestic violence.
The women of the Lambda Theta Alpha sorority welcomed attendees at the door. A member, Rubi Montoya, said that TBTN is “a tradition that we are hoping to continue.”
Among the crowd was freshman Natalie Butkowski. She attended for “the people who couldn’t be [there]” and emphasized the importance of using the time she had to honor victims and to “take back their time.”
Marissa Cohen, 2024 National Campus Speaker of the Year and author of “The Healing from Emotional Abuse Philosophy,” spoke at the forum on Tuesday night as part of TBTN.
Cohen told her vulnerable story of watching a man she trusted grow hostile and demeaning. She spoke bluntly of when she was sexually assaulted. In her personable and straightforward tone, she emphasized the importance of “breaking through the silence” and talking about these experiences.
She prompted the audience to raise their hands and, in a single voice, the assembly said, “I am enough. My voice has power. I am strong. My voice matters. I am worthy of self love. I deserve happiness and respect.”
She concluded that the reasons for the meeting were to band together, share stories, honor those who are no longer here and to keep the campus safe for everyone with “a community of validation, support, love and empowerment.”
A whistle blew every 68 seconds during the demonstration to symbolize how sexual assault happens every 68 seconds in the United States. The sound of the whistle pierced through the warm September night, falling on the silent crowd. The advocates moved from the Agricultural Science Building past the Administration Building, embodying a statement of resistance to sexual violence, their solemn faces illuminated by tea lights.
As the marchers passed the Katy Benoit memorial bench, teary eyed sisters of Alpha Gamma Delta, Benoit’s former sorority, joined in a sorrowful song, “Candle Lighting Time.” The sweet, simple melody is used in their house traditions. Chapter President Cameron Harelson wanted “hope and awareness” to come as a result of this event. At the song’s conclusion, the sisters left their lights on Katy’s bench, joined hands and added themselves to the congregation.
Summer Senefsky attended on behalf of Alternatives to Violence of the Palouse. She stressed that it is “really empowering to band together” and “to understand the myths of sexual assault.” ATVP is a confidential resource with a 24-hour hotline. They can be contacted at (509) 332-4357 and (208) 883-4357 to provide resources and support for victims and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.
The UI Counseling and Mental Health Center is on the third floor of Mary Forney Hall and offers free, confidential counseling services to UI students. The staff of the CMHC encouraged students to reach out to their office. The CMHC is not solely for crisis but can serve as a casual support factor for students. The Dean of Students office and Office of Civil Rights and Investigations are other, non-confidential resources on campus from which to seek help.
Miriam Moore can be reached at [email protected]