Music, dance, facts and fighting fill Night

There is a Buddhist parable about five blind men who encounter an elephant. Each examines a… There is a Buddhist parable about five blind men who encounter an elephant. Each examines a different part of the animal and, when they are done, each has a different definition of the term “elephant” – and all are completely inaccurate.

If five people with perfect eyesight came and left the Assembly Room in the William Pitt Union at different hours on Friday evening, their conceptions of what type of event went on there would be as dissimilar and inaccurate as the blind men’s descriptions of the elephant.

Friday night, the Campus Women’s Organization attempted to raise awareness of sexual assault with its semi-annual Take Back the Night event. At different points in the evening, the event was a rock concert, a poetry reading and a self-defense class.

Jennifer Stephan, CWO’s president, said the multi-media program was designed to be more inclusive than the Take Back the Night march the group held last spring.

“The thing about the march is that it can be alienating,” Stephan said. “We had a very diverse crowd at the concerts [held in the past] and thought that might be better this semester.”

In particular, Stephan said, the CWO made an effort to draw more men to the event.

“Sexual assault and rape affect everyone,” she said. “Everyone knows someone – friend; sister; mother – who has been sexually assaulted.”

At the event, the CWO gave out the usual purple ribbons to acknowledge and honor victims, but also white ribbons, worn only by men, as a promise to never commit or encourage violence against women.

Before the event, the group decorated the Assembly Room with posters that read “Just because she’s done it before doesn’t mean she has to do it with you,” “Stop domestic violence,” and “Rape and sex have as much in common as cooking and being hit in the head with a frying pan.”

Lexus Jumps, a local hard rock band, launched the event with a loud performance.

Stephan, acting as master of ceremonies, gave out gift certificates from local businesses for correct answers to questions such as, “What percentage of rapes are reported to police?” (15 percent) and “Out of every 10 college students who are raped, how many knew their attackers?” (seven).

Next, Chase Patterson described women in his life, and how they have affected his thoughts on these issues.

“I think most often of my sister, and when it comes to issues like these, I think of her safety. I think of whether or not she is capable of protecting herself, mentally, physically, sexually,” Patterson said. “So I ask each of you to ask yourselves this question: Do you really want to take back the night?”

“The power is in your hands,” he added.

The Black Dance Workshop, clad in army fatigues, then performed a routine to Christina Aguilera’s “Fighter.”

After that, safety instructor Curtis Smith and several assistants gave a demonstration on self-defense.

“We are not the type of crew who just want to lecture. We want to get you involved,” Smith said.

With Smith’s encouragement, audience members paired up and rolled around on the assembly room floor, practicing tripping people and escaping potential assailants.

“There’s a lot of energy here. I love the energy,” Smith remarked.

Next, Pitt student Nathan James read an original poem, titled “Justifiable Rape.”

“If a lot more men got involved in [preventing] rape, we would really help put a stop to it, and that’s what this poem is about.” James said.

After James, the all-female punk band Bunny Five Coat performed a high-energy set. One of the band’s songs, “1 in 4,” was inspired by the alarming statistic that one out of four women are victims of sexual assault during their lifetimes.

The next event, a “speak-out” where rape and sexual assault survivors were encouraged to share their stories, was closed to the media.

At around 2:00 AM, the night concluded with a performance from Pitt’s all-female a cappella choir, Sounds of Pleasure.