April 2010
9 posts
Sigma Phi Epsilon Unofficial Blog - Asking to be... →
noroomau:
We, the Brothers of Sigma Phi Epsilon, take issue with Mr. Alex Knepper’s article “Dealing with AU’s anti-sex brigade.” We are offended with his portrayal of any person who attends a social function as passively accepting sexual intercourse regardless of actual consent. Going to a party does not mean anyone explicitly wants sex.
These Tips Work.
Please distribute this list. Put it up in your place of work, in your university’s library or wherever you think theymight be read:
1. Don’t put drugs in people’s drinks in order to control their behavior.
2. When you see someone walking by themselves, leave them alone!
3. If you pull over to help someone with car problems, remember not to assault them!
4. NEVER open an unlocked door or window...
An Open Letter from (con)sensual Chair Carmen Rios
Everyone,
I woke up this morning with a flooded inbox and the information that all of our demands had been met. A petition that was circulating contained the following list of demands in response to The Eagle’s harmful actions, crafted by CASJ and other individual activists:
-The Eagle publicly accepts responsibility and publishes an apology
-The Eagle suspends Knepper, and all editorial...
Administration Contact Information and Form...
Thanks to Kelly Thomas!
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To: Office of the Provost: provost@american.edu and Office of Campus Life: Gail Hanson, VP of Campus Life campuslife@american.edu
To the Provost and Office of Campus Life:
I am very please that you finally addressed the controversy on campus. The recognition is important to survivors and is vital for healing the campus. However I was surprised that you...
A Letter to the Administration: Carmen Rios
To whom it may concern,
I am a sophomore in CAS and SOC who has been directly affected and frustrated by the lack of university response to Alex Knepper’s latest piece in The Eagle. The issue of sexual assault is serious for all people on our campus, and now more than ever students need to be alerted to the resources that are available to them. I am not emailing you about issues like...
Kelly Thomas & Dept. of Public Safety
Kelly Thomas: m in the Class of 2012 in the School of International Service. I'm am hurt and angry that Public Safety have yet to address the issue currently on campus. Many have been hurt and offended by Alex Kneppers article, "Dealing with AU's anti-sex brigade". I must stress that my is not the debate of censorship but an issue of where the university stands on date rape. I know students who are survivors. I know that some have been survivors of date rape on this campus. I know some have felt they had no where to turn to and feel that the university has let them down. Your silence has spoken volumes to them. I urge you to take this terrible situation and turn it into positive moment for the campus to come together. Emphasize your commitment to the eradication of rape and the university's commitment to help survivors by offering them a stricter school policy on sexual assault and remind the campus that you are available to help survivors. Emphasize your support and participation in projects like the Take Back the Night and the Clothesline Project. Remember, actions speak louder than words. Have this campus commit to creating safe spaces for all its students.
Chief McNair, DPS: Ms Thomas, thank you for your email expressing your concern. However, you need to understand that Public Safety is required to be objective in the enforcement of all laws on Campus. The article to which you refer is protected by free speech. Therefore it is not appropriate for Public Safety to take a stand one way or the other against someone exercising their constitutional rights. Our lack of response to this article should not be taken as anything other than our sworn duty to uphold the Constitution and defend the rights of everyone to speak freely regardless of what we think of the words they say. Please access our website to see the numerous programs that Public Safety offers to the community to reduce and help prevent sexual assault. Lt Rima Sifri is a primary coordinator in the "Take Back The Night" event. She is also our RAD coordinator. If you need to contact her about our other efforts please feel free to do so. She is cc'd on this email.
Nicole Wisler, CAS 2013, Replies to Knepper
This letter is not at all addressed to Alex Knepper. Alex Knepper knows what his views are, knows how this campus feels about his views, and he likes it. He loves that attention and I see no reason to give him more of it. This letter is for The Eagle because, frankly, it’s pretty clear that Knepper is not the only egotistical, attention-craving staff member in your office. He knows this too,...
Luiza Athayde & Dept. of Public Safety
Luiza Athayde: I am an international student at this school. I am writing to urge Public Safety to publicly speak out against sexual assault and "date rape" in the wake of Alex Knepper's column "Dealing with AU's anti-sex brigade". I would like to stress that this email is not about free speech, and not about Alex's column itself, but about a need in this moment for Public Safety to address students in this campus who were hurt by the column and who feel like they are no longer in a safe environment when it comes to sexual assault. I urge Public Safety to get pass the column, pass the controversies involving the Eagle, and join the students in this important moment to speak out against sexual assault, and speak out for consensual sex. I am a survivor of sexual assault, and your silence so far on this matter has spoken volumes to me. I urge you to publicly emphasize your commitment to the eradication of rape and the university's commitment to help survivors by offering them a stricter school policy on sexual assault and remind the campus that you are available to help survivors. Have this campus commit to creating safe spaces for all its students.
Chief McNair, DPS: Free speech is free speech. If Public Safety were to write articles speaking out against everyone who wrote something we disagreed with, we would have a chilling effect on free speech. Public Safety's policy and responsibility is to protect the free speech of all students, staff and faculty on campus. We do market our crime prevention programs and our annual report and website support that we do. i also urge you as an individual to write to the Eagle to have your views published in opposition to the author of the article.
Nefertiti Akemafula, CAS, Replies to Alex Knepper
I am astounded, saddened and generally appalled at the Eagle’s decision to print such a dangerous, damaging article. But more-so, I am outright astounded that Alex Knepper stands enough behind his beliefs to go an write an article on it. While I do find his disregard of the queer community disgusting and fueled by a hatred that I can’t seem to neither understand nor place I can’t help but focus...
