Students and administrators were given the chance Thursday to gather and discuss their thoughts on a alleged culture of sexism at Ohio University.
The event “Campus Conversation: Sexual Assault, Consent, and Bystander Intervention” was held Thursday afternoon.
The discussion featured tables where event-goers were able to sit and discuss themes such as sexual assault, consent, bystander intervention, victim blaming/slut shaming, university policy and community outreach. It is the second “Day of Dialogue” OU has held for students, with the first coming about eight years ago, said Jenny Hall-Jones, OU’s dean of students.
Ryan Lombardi, vice president for Student Affairs; Hall-Jones; Martha Compton, director of the Office of Community Standards and Student Responsibility; Susanne Dietzel, director of the Women’s Center and David Descutner, dean of University College, were all in attendance.
OU President Roderick McDavis also attended the event.
The turnout for the event was great, Hall-Jones said. The open format allowed for people to come and go, but there were consistently 50 to 60 people in attendance at a time — most of them students, Hall-Jones said.
“I wanted to have a productive conversation about this in a sage and open environment,” said Alex Droba, a senior studying middle childhood education. “I thought it was really helpful. I like that there was a lot of talk about what we can do to prevent it from being an issue in the future.”
The Day of Dialogue held roughly eight years ago was about alcohol and the high-risk drinking behavior of students, Hall-Jones said.
“It was the beginning of the conversation,” Hall-Jones said.
She said that the current alcohol policies and way the university handles Halloween have changed since the first Day of Dialogue.
University officials and students planned the event after the alleged Court Street rape.
A follow-up discussion has been scheduled for Monday, Nov. 18 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Baker University Center Ballroom B. It’s unclear if the format will be the same as the event from Thursday. Administrators will take the feedback they get from Thursday’s event and use it to plan the discussion in November, Lombardi said.
md781510@ohiou.edu
@MariaDeVito13
