The Feminist Wire is honored to support Faculty Against Rape (FAR). We reprint their press release, issued today, in solidarity with FAR, faculty members who seek to address sexual violence on college campuses, student activists, and anyone who works toward a world without rape.
FACULTY GROUP FORMS TO ADDRESS CAMPUS RAPE
Faculty Against Rape (FAR) is the First National Organization of its Kind
Leading faculty members and sexual violence activists from across the nation have come together to form Faculty Against Rape (FAR), the first national faculty organization of its kind. FAR’s mission is to get more faculty involved in sexual assault issues on campus, and to protect faculty who experience retaliation for doing so. FAR’s website provides research and resources for faculty, and FAR staff are available to help faculty who want to push for policy reforms on their campus, organize with students, or file federal Title IX or Clery complaints. FAR’s name is a nod to the Feminist Alliance Against Rape (FAAR), the first national anti-rape organization established in 1974.
FAR’s advisory board includes the leading experts on sexual assault in the U.S., including Mary Koss, Jennifer Freyd, Aishah Shahidah Simmons, Jackson Katz, Walter DeKeseredy, Darnell Moore, John Foubert, Michael Flood, James Peterson, Kimberly Theidon, and others. FAR is endorsed by the American Association of University Professors, Know Your IX, One In Four USA, Students Active for Ending Rape (SAFER), and Men Can Stop Rape.
Simona Sharoni, FAR co-founder and Professor of Gender & Women’s Studies at SUNY Plattsburgh notes that “Faculty must play a role in addressing the growing epidemic of sexual assault on college campuses because good teaching begins with compassion for students. Moreover, faculty are on the frontlines since survivors of rape or sexual assault tend approach a professor to share their experiences.”
Bill Flack, FAR co-founder and Associate Professor of Psychology at Bucknell University in Pennsylvania points out that “Researchers have known for decades about the prevalence of sexual assault on college campuses. This information needs to be shared widely so that everyone understands the extent of this chronic public health crisis and the need for a serious, long-term commitment to eradicating it.”
Shira Tarrant, FAR co-founder and Associate Professor at California State University, Long Beach notes that “As faculty, we support students in honing their intellectual skills and thriving in their personal lives. A safe campus is crucial to meeting both of these goals.”
Caroline Heldman, FAR co-founder and Associate Professor of Politics at Occidental College in Los Angeles, thinks that faculty have significant power to bring about needed reform. “Administrators are notorious for stonewalling and glad handing student activists until they graduate. But faculty members do not graduate every four years, so faculty-student collaborations are especially effective in making lasting change.”
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