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“As a survivor, I try to invest all of my
energy into making sure people never
have to go through what I went through
and to know that there is someone
speaking out even when they can’t find
the strength to do so themselves,” said
Victoria Goodwin, the main coordinator
of the event. “It was really helpful for me
to be that person, and to share my story.
Being able to help and protect others
makes it easier for me.”
Goodwin, a 2015 graduate, is the
president and co-founder of Revolution
Against Rape, an organization on
campus whose purpose is to create a safe
environment on campus where victims
of sexual violence can speak up without
fear of ostracism.
“Many students, faculty, and staff
came to me after the event to talk about
how thankful they were that this was
now part of our campus, and they
were thankful for all of my work,” said
Goodwin. “I can only hope that this is
the start of a much bigger movement on
Lycoming’s campus.”
Although this was the first Take
Back the Night event held on campus,
Lycoming’s Title IX deputy coordinator,
Kat Matic, has been working with
Campus Security, Residential Life and
Counseling Services staff and others
across campus to institute programs
and changes that promote an even safer
environment for everyone.
“Although our college’s statistics are
favorable to colleges of similar size, our
position is one of zero tolerance,” Matic
said. “Because we know rape is one of
the more underreported crimes, we
are very diligent with making sure we
understand the true extent of the issue
so we can take the actions needed to
prevent this type of offense.”
Some of the changes Lycoming has
made in the past year are adopting a
significantly revised policy toward sexual
misconduct, expanding the definition of
rape to reflect changes instituted by the
FBI in 2011, and providing additional
training for students on inappropriate
sexual behaviors and what support
services are available to victims.
“An important step is to make sure
that all students feel comfortable with
reporting rapes and trust that reports
are taken seriously and investigated
properly,” Matic said.
INCREASES RAPE
AWARENESS
This spring, Lycoming
College joined the
movement against
sexual violence by
hosting its first ever
Take Back the Night
walk to raise awareness
about the prevalence
of sexual misconduct
on college campuses.
During the event, the
college community
came together to
march from the Heim
Science Building
to Clarke Chapel to
listen to speakers,
poets, watch dances
in support of survivors
and individuals in the
campus community.
Take Back the Night Event
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LYCOMING COLLEGE 2015 SUMMER MAGAZINE
T H E CO L L E G E