The 1992 January/February issue of Feminisms did a piece on “radical activism” that took place on OSU campus. The Association of Women Students (AWS) took part on a national Day of Action to encourage congress to pass The Violence Against Women Act, which included “funding for rape facilities and calls for campuses to keep centralized records of sexual assaults” (Romig, 15). AWS used attention grabbing tactics to get people on campus aware of their cause. AWS members participated in guerrilla theater all around campus—on the Oval, in the Ohio Union, and at the comer of 15th Avenue and N. High St. In their demonstration or skit, a woman would be verbally harassed by a man and she would yell at him to leave her alone. They would then tussle a bit, where eventually the man would pin her to the ground and hit her. Then women from the group would rush over and push the man off, as they chant protest slogans. A member of the group would then explain to the crowd their purpose and cause, urging them to call congress members as they pass out fliers.
AWS members defended their nontraditional “shock value” method, claiming guerrilla theater was a powerful tool in eliciting strong reactions and attention from passerby’s. The article cited that members received mixed responses from people, ranging from cheering
AWS members preform in guerrilla theater on OSU campus
when the man was pulled off; men yelling, “why don’t you protest something worth while?” , and utter indifference. One group member indicated that indifference was even worse than outright resistance, because at least there was discussion with those who yelled in protest. However, members reported being pleased with the Day of Action, and over 100 universities took part in activism around this day.
Works Cited
Romig, Melissa. “Radical Activism on Campus.” Feminisms [Columbus] Jan.-Feb. 1992, 5th ed., sec. 1: 15-17. Print. http://hdl.handle.net/1811/78015