Take Back the Night
Written By Daisy Willis
UH Hilo sophomore, Tawanaka Kaupu, speaking at Take Back the Night. Video filmed and edited by ALEX Intern Reporter, Daisy Willis.
“No means No, Yes means Yes, wherever we go, however we dress!”-University of Hawaii at Hilo Women’s Center, "Take Back the Night" campaign.
UH Hilo Take Back the Night poster. Photo found online at, http://hilo.hawaii.edu/news/view/1059.
Student safety on campus is important to everyone, and on April 9th, the University of Hawaii at Hilo Women’s Center put on an event called Take Back the Night. This event brought together students and faculty members to generate awareness about safety both on campus and in the home. The goal was not only to generate awareness, but also to show the different resources that are available for students, and to give students/victims a platform to share their stories. TBTN was intended to be a healthy outlet for students to heal together.
The event was a huge success, boasting several faculty speaker such as Campus Security Director, Darrell Mayfield, as well as several students that performed spoken-word poetry and shared their experiences overcoming abuse. The attendants of the event also marched across campus, singing, chanting, and carrying signs displaying their stance against all forms of abuse.
Signs used in the UH Hilo Take Back the Night march across campus. Photo taken by ALEX Intern Reporter, Daisy Willis.
Tawanaka Kaupu is a sophomore majoring in English and Communications as well as a first-year volunteer at the Women’s Center. She was the head coordinator for this event and he passion for the cause is inspiring. She was in charge of coordinating the free food, generating speakers, and organizing her other volunteers. The end result was a success and Tawanaka learned many useful skills along the way. In an interview, she stated “I was first introduced to the idea of TBTN the first day I volunteered [at the Women’s Center]. I choose to be apart of this event because I too have felt unsafe on campus. Putting this event together has helped me grow in so many ways; as a student, an individual, and a leader. I was fortunate in having the support of the Women's Center's staff in helping me create my event. TBTN has offered me so much in teaching me how to fill out the paperwork that is necessary in putting an event together: i.e. food-waiver forms, securing sponsors, and space reservations. These are all things that I had no familiarity with, and being able to be apart of the process has given me a much greater appreciation for the events, booths, and resources that the University provides. There was a lot of work that went on behind the scenes. My POLS 101 class has given me insight as to how our government and policies work, and has assisted me [in understanding] the way school politics work.”
The stage set up at UH Hilo Campus Center before the start of the Take Back the Night event. Photo taken by ALEX Intern Reporter, Daisy Willis.
Needless to say, Tawanaka and all of the people involved in TBTN reached their goal of educating students about the resources available to them if they are faced with abuse, sexual assault, or anything that may make them feel unsafe on campus. Tawanaka was also able to improve herself as a student leader and apply the skills she has learned from her UHH classes to putting together a successful event.
If you did not attend the event but would still like some questions answered about your security, don’t hesitate to contact campus security! If you see something, say something. Do your part to make our campus as safe as possible. The campus security webpage can be found here.
