Both in 1983 and 1996 (among many other years), women of The Ohio State University and the Columbus community came together to “take back the night”. Take Back the Night is an international organization whose mission is to “end sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual abuse and all other forms of sexual violence”, through events

Fig. 1: Women Take Back The Night protest, 1983

Fig. 2: Women Take Back the Night protest, 1983

like the marches in 1983 and 1996 (TBTN). “Take back the night” refers to the refusal to accept the lack of sense of safety women often feel when walking in the dark, especially alone, because of the constant (subconscious or not) fear of sexual assault.  Both protests invited men to participate in discussion, but they were asked to refrain from marching.

The 1983 protest consisted of about 600 women holding candles and signs and banners, marching from Central High School  to a rally at the Riverfront Amphitheater. The event was sponsored by “Women Against Rape (WAR), the Federation for Progress, and it drew support from more than 20 other organizations, including the OSU Women’s Law Caucus and OSU Women’s Services” (Willke, 1983).

Fig. 3: A “Take Back the Night” flyer posted in The Lantern for the 1996 protest

The 1996 Take Back the Night protest consisted of an estimated 300-500 women, with the Rally beginning at Sullivant Hall, proceeding with a mile long march, and ending with a candle light vigil at Sullivant Hall. The vigil displayed life size silhouettes and plaques to tell the stories of real women who had died of violence. Speakers from OSU’s Women’s Student Services, Columbus Area Rape Treatment Program, Diversity Ohio, Asian Community Outreach Program, and Columbus Women’s Chorus were among the participants of the protest.

Here are some images of Take Back the Night  protests in Columbus throughout the years…

Fig. 4: 1978

Fig. 5: 1979

Fig. 6: 1987

Fig. 7: 1989

Fig. 8: 1993

Fig. 9: 1994

Fig. 10: 2002

Works Cited

Hannah, Amy M., and Nichole Negulesco. “Do a Little March, Make a Little Noise, Take Back the Night.” The Lantern [Columbus] 23 May 1996: 2. Print.

“History – Take Back the Night.” Take Back the Night. Take Back the Night (TBTN), n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2016.

Willke, Jeanne. “Women Protest Rape in Symbolic Night Rally.” The Lantern [Columbus] 16 May 1983: 1. Print.

Photos:

Fig 1 and 2: Deadhead, Daisy. Ancient Black-and-white Photos of My Hometown (Columbus, OH) Take Back the Night March (1983). 1983. Http://daisysdeadair.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-history-project-part-2.html, Columbus.

Fig. 3: Hannah, Amy M., and Nichole Negulesco. “Do a Little March, Make a Little Noise, Take Back the Night.” The Lantern [Columbus] 23 May 1996: 3.

The 1980’s marked a shift in efforts in changing men’s role in rape education on The Ohio State University campus.  Randy Gebhardt, previous associate administrator of OSU’s Rape Education and Prevention Program, covered a story in The Lantern in 1984 on the first rape education workshop for men under the university’s (almost) year old program.  The Rape Education and Prevention Program had established a task force to create “one of the first and most extensive programs [on university campuses] intended to help men understand rape”, with workshops as the main aspect of the program (Gebhardt, 4).

Gebhardt describes the first workshop, titled “Rape Education for Men”, where 27 men participated. Some were interested, some were intimately affected by rape, and many were residence advisers (RA’s); the fact that many were RA’s is important to note because the Steeb Hall gang rape case had occurred only months prior, which sparked discussion about the RA’s adequacy of rape education and handling of rape reports. During the workshop, the men discussed the definition of rape, gender stereotypes, and their experiences with rape. The program intended to “increase rape awareness among men, to broaden stereotyped definitions and to help men become more sensitive to women’s feelings” (Gebhardt, 4).

The feedback on the workshop was overwhelmingly positive, with some men inquiring about future presentations and ways to assist the program. Gebhardt mentions that Rape Education and Prevention Program planned to create support groups and education programs for men who have been raped or are concerned about being raped, in light of the fact that “at least six men were raped by other men at Ohio  State [in 1983], although only two of these were reported to the police” (Gebhardt, 4).

Works Cited

Gebhardt, Randy. “Enlightened Men Can Help Stop Rape.” The Lantern[Columbus] 15 Feb. 1984: 4. Print.

Headline of The Lantern article covering the protest against the handling of the Steeb Hall case

As described in the previous post of this blog, the Ohio State University’s handling of the Steeb Hall gang rape case was not without its contention. A group of 50 protesters picketed an Ohio State basketball game in March of 1983 in response to the questionable tactics OSU had employed during and after the case. The group claimed no specific affiliation to an organization, rather, they identified themselves as “concerned students”.

OSU “concerned students” picket an OSU basketball game

The protesters held signs reading messages such as “Athletes not above the law”, and “Women are fair game at OSU”, while chanting “No more games, we want names” in response to the lack of disclosure of details of the case. The leaflet passed out at the game by the group listed demands such as:

• Release more information about the suspects
• Investigate the matter thoroughly and prosecute to the fullest extent, regardless of who any of the perpetrators are
• Establish communication between concerned groups
• Re-establish educational programs on rape prevention, self-defense, and counseling for Residence Advisers (RA’s) on the frequency of rape

According to the spokesperson of the group, their primary goal was to force OSU to disclose the names of the suspects. Although they did not blame anyone for the prolonged investigation, they did find it unnecessary to wait for the investigation to end after basketball season. The protesters were entirely peaceful.

Works Cited

Gaborcik, Michael J. “Group Protests OSU’s Tactics; Says Rape Inquiry Was Mishandled.” The Lantern [Columbus] 4 Mar. 1983: 1. Print.

The Steeb Hall case of February, 1983, involved a female sophomore at Ohio State University who was allegedly gang raped by six men, five of whom were football and basketball players, in her dorm room. One witness, a resident of Steeb Hall, reported seeing an OSU football player and suspect, push a woman out of the dorm room about 15 minutes after the time the rape was reported to have occurred.¹

The Resident Advisers (RA’s) were told to stay silent on the case, according to a RA. The anonymous RA interviewed in The Lantern‘s  “University Police Continue Investigation: OSU Athletes may be Involved with Alleged Gang Rape” piece said it is common for residence officials to not name rape, cover up cases of sexual assault, and not cooperate with the police.¹ In other words, the university was actively attempting to keep the case secretive.

After less than 20 minutes of deliberation, a Franklin County Court grand jury did not indict any of the suspects involved with the Steeb Hall case, because the jury did not find probable cause to indict the men for rape charges. Ohio State conducted its own investigation of the alleged rape case, with the harshest penalty being suspension.  The University Judicial Panel  found three of the men not guilty, three of them guilty for disciplinary misconduct, two of whom were suspended from university, and one was put on academic probation. There was no mention as to what the men were found guilty of.²

Marlene Longecker writes about the questionable aspects of the investigation³

The Dean of Student Life at the time, Michael Livingston, suspended the men’s sentences in response to their appeals, (a week before he was to announce the fall football roster), and they were consequently able to participate in their sports.

The woman who prosecuted was no longer attending OSU at that time.

After the case hearing, OSU released a statement saying it was a “relief” that “no criminal activity occurred on our campus”.³