top of page

Time is Up

Updated: Mar 17

By: Jennifer Ward


Students protesting in front of the Student Services building (Photo by Jennifer Ward)


Students gathered around the clock tower in the center of the Purchase campus protesting behavior demonstrated by UPD and the Title IX office that protesters claim is harmful towards survivors. While screaming chants such as “We are here” and “We believe you,” students took matters into their own hands defending themselves and what they stand for.


The protest was organized, advertised, and held within 24 hours by three freshmen who decided "enough is enough" and wanted to take matters into their own hands. The protest was held on Dec. 5, and with many students gathered around student services, they had much support to back up their claims of the mistreatment UPD and Title IX give to survivors of sexual assault.


Freshman sociology major and one of the organizers of the protest Channah Linnen said, “The amount of support the school provides is not enough.” She continued, “The point of the protest today is awareness and open opportunities for everyone to feel like this is a safe space.”


The red zone, which is the period of time when students are most vulnerable to sexual assault, is typically the first few months of college. While many students acknowledged that they are aware of these statistics, they continued to exclaim that this is still a problematic cycle that needs to be addressed by the school.


I would like to say that if you think we’re stopping after one protest you are surely mistaken,” said Sophia Bloom, freshman studio production major and organizer. “We’re not trying to bring down the campus, we’re trying to make it better and safer for students.”



During the protest, many students stood in a circle with a microphone and a speaker sharing their experiences with sexual assault during their duration on this campus. Students who stood in the circle proclaimed that they did not feel seen by the school and that the school did not take their case seriously.


“Purchase, you really need to start doing

Students speaking at the protest (Photo by Jennifer Ward)


something or honestly, students are going to start realizing it’s a problem and start really rallying up,” said, Natassia Randall, protest organizer, and freshman film major. “If they don’t help, the students are going to make noise and they’re going to listen.”


“On behalf of my office and my colleagues in the administration, I want to thank those who came out and shared their experiences. It took a lot of bravery to do so. We heard you and we're committed to listening to students' concerns and frustrations,” said Lisa Milesboyce, Title IX coordinator.


“We urge students to continue to engage with us and to make sure you understand the process of reporting and the importance of your rights and the rights of those accused, as well,” Milesboyce continued. “While we didn't create the laws, policies, and procedures related to Title IX, it's up to all of us to adhere to them and to ensure that confidentiality, neutrality, and equity are maintained at all levels and steps of the process.”


In upcoming months, Title IX will be dedicating additional time and resources to the conversion to empower students that will be shared in the forthcoming months.


Freshman Juan De Los Santos De Leon said, “You don’t have to be quiet about what’s going on in your life. If somebody is trying to shut you down, try to speak louder. They want you to fail so they can be successful and it doesn’t have to be like that.”



Students have created many flyers and hung them around the school, along with posts and petitions on social media, spreading their message. These students are far from afraid of the school hearing what they have to say. “Purchase is going to have to change because we’re not leaving,” Bloom said. “We will be here multiple times every single semester with people as brave and strong and courageous as they were today.”


At one moment during the protest, Bloom directed students to turn toward the

The flyer that was hung around campus and that circulated

social media (Photo via @studentsagainstsexualassaul on

Instagram )

Student Services building and wave at anyone watching, meaning to state that they were not going anywhere.


“We are human beings, we do not deserve to be in danger when we are trying to go to school here. So we will keep fighting and protesting until you decide to give a shit about us,” said Hannah Klein, junior sculpture major.


Students exclaimed they don’t feel as though those accused of assault faced proper consequences. Protesters insisted on a stricter process that should be in place in order to hold those accused accountable. Many students also told stories detailing why they feel unsafe going to UPD in order to report. Allegedly stating UPD does nothing to hold abusers accountable.



Channah Linnen with a sign made by Hannah Klein (Photo by Jennifer Ward)


“It’s not even worth reporting to them. It couldn’t be more clear that the school could not give a shit about safety and making sure their students are safe from sexual violence,” Klein said.


UPD has not issued a statement at this time.


“I just hope they can understand where we’re coming from, and I hope they can take it and change whatever is wrong. I feel that’s mostly the message, change. Fix whatever is broken here and fix the system for students,” Linen said.







1 Comment


AmericanArchon
AmericanArchon
Dec 10, 2022

Great article. I'm sad to see the school is still muddling around procedure and UPD protocol hasn't changed. Students and survivors have spoken about these issues and the need to take action for years, and administration still seems slow to change.

Like
Contact
Editor-in-chief: Jennifer Ward
jennifer.ward@purchase.edu
Digital Managing Editor: Arlenis Marmolejos
arlenis.marmolejos@purchase.edu
Faculty Advisor: Donna Cornachio
donna.cornachio@purchase.edu
 
General Contact
purchasecollegephoenix@gmail.com

PSGA Bylaws (August 2018), Student Bill of Rights, Section B. Freedom of Speech, Press and Inquiry


Neither the student government nor any faculty or administrative person or board shall make a rule or regulation or take any action which abridges students’ freedom of speech, press or inquiry, as guaranteed Constitutional rights as citizens of the United States. Students of the campus are guaranteed:

  1. the right to examine and discuss all questions of interest to them, and to express opinion privately and publicly;

  2. the right to learn in the spirit of free inquiry;

  3. the right to be informed of the purposes of all research in which they are expected or encouraged to participate either as subject or researcher;

  4. the right to freedom from censorship in campus newspapers and other media

© 2023 by Digital Marketing. Proudly created with Wix.com

bottom of page