On Thursday, Sept. 17, the University of Idaho hosted its annual Katy Benoit Campus Safety Forum: Take Back the Night. The event included a keynote speech followed by a silent march through campus.
The event is part of the Katy Benoit Campus Safety Awareness Month. Benoit lost her life 15 years ago to interpersonal violence. Since then, the university has held events to honor her memory and support campus safety and community.
Take Back the Night is also an internationally recognized stand against interpersonal violence and a way to support survivors.
The organizer of the event, Katrina Critchfield said: “What I really want folks to get out of this event is just a feeling that their university cares about their safety and wellbeing, they feel empowered to step up and act in the eyes of safety, and that they know what resources are out there for them if they need support.”
Erin Agidius, Vandal alumna and current TMG Consultant, was the keynote speaker for the event. Her speech focused on how our individual actions matter. When we see something, say something.
During her keynote, Agidius said: “When our moment comes, how do we show up well.” She also noted that we can only control ourselves and not the actions of others. “Safety is not a formula … the person who engages in harm is the person responsible for harm.”
Her speech was followed by a silent march around campus. Students held lights and signs as they walked to a bench honoring Katy Benoit, which was surrounded by a choir. A whistle was blown every 68 seconds to signal how often someone is sexually assaulted in the United States.
In a post-event interview, Agidius was asked about her experience as a consultant. “I think about how I am not the person with the lived experience and I am not the person in their shoes, but how can I make sure that I can support people that are experiencing those struggles and those challenges? Because no matter how hard it is on my side, I know nothing about what they’re experiencing,” said Agidius.
More events honoring Katy Benoit Campus Safety Awareness Month are to come:
“Responding to Disclosure of Interpersonal Violence,” a 90-minute Zoom training session, will take place on Monday, Sept. 21 at 9:30 a.m.
“A Student Green Dot Bystander Intervention Training” will take place at the Student Recreation Center in room 103 on Tuesday, Oct. 8 at 2 p.m.
Melanie Knapp can be reached at [email protected]
Dennis Whitehead
Great article; thank you!