Students host annual ‘Take Back the Night’ in wake of violent campus sexual assault

Dozens of students gathered on Tuesday night for Take Back the Night, an annual event that aims to create a space for survivors of sexual violence to share their stories. 

Hosted by students and staff affiliated with the Sexual Harassment/Assault Response & Education (SHARE) Title IX & Title VI Office, the night was part of this year’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) programming. The event has a decades-long history on campus, with students gathering every April to support sexual violence survivors and highlight resources available on campus.

Organizers said that this year’s programming was especially significant, occurring in the wake of a violent sexual assault at the beginning of the quarter.

Students first gathered in the early evening at White Plaza for a rally. Speakers shared personal experiences related to sexual assault and spoke about their advocacy work in the sexual violence prevention space. 

According to Nina Lee, Assistant Director of the SHARE Title IX & VI Office, event participants addressed topics ranging from survivor’s guilt and men’s role in sexual violence prevention. 

“I think here at Stanford, we have such brilliant students who struggle in silence…but what you are experiencing is something that many other people have,” Lee said “It’s important to seek out communities, especially in times like this, and rely on that community”

After the speaker event at White Plaza, students marched to Toyon Hall for the ‘Speak-Out’ portion of the night, carrying signs that said “No means No” and “Take Back the Night.” Though they walked in silence, their message was heard clearly: survivors do not have to suffer in silence. 

Pelagia Martin ’27, lead organizer for this year’s Take Back the Night, explained that the silence during the walk is symbolic.

“It’s a silent march also to represent how survivors are often forced into silence — how even though we are often forced in silence, our presence on campus is not invisible” Martin said.  

The night concluded with the ‘Speak-Out’ at Toyon Hall, which provided a safe space for students to share personal experiences with sexual violence.

During the event, about a dozen students approached a microphone staged at the front of the dark room, sharing vulnerable stories about sexual violence both on and off campus. 

“It’s a reminder that these things are omnipresent on campus,” Martin said. “It’s important to me personally because I am a survivor…this has been something that is very important to my life and who I am.”

Lee encouraged students to access resources through Stanford, including the Title IX reporting system, Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), and Bridge Peer Counseling Center. 

“What we want to convey is really that you’re not alone,” Lee said. 

In addition to Martin and Lee, Cara Steele ’27, Zoya Noor Fasihuddin ’26, Peer Education Programs Coordinator Jessica Short and SHARE Education Team director Carley Jasulski collaborated to coordinate the event. 

A violent sexual assault on campus at the start of the quarter contributed to a sense of urgency for organizers.

“It was different this year because we had an event that we were reacting to,” Martin said. The assault, she added, “got people thinking about their safety on campus.”

On the night of Sunday, March 30, Stanford University Department of Public Safety (SUDPS) sent a campus-wide alert about a sexual assault near Mayfield Avenue and Santa Ynez Street involving an armed man.

The victim told officers that the man “pushed [her] into a landscaped area near a house,” where he sexually assaulted her.

In a statement to The Daily, University spokesperson Angie Davis wrote that “the investigation into this report is continuing.”

Referring The Daily to a community message from early April, Davis reaffirmed that “DPS has no evidence that there is a threat to the community related to this incident.” 

In the April 2 message, Chief of Police Laura Wilson explained that “this determination is based on the information collected thus far by DPS – which includes considerable background information, multiple interviews, and neighborhood canvassing.” 

The Daily spoke with a number of students since the assault, who noted a heightened sense of fear among female students on campus.

Sara Garg ’29 said that after the assault occurred, she feared for her safety during long walks back to her residence on East campus.

“​​Since my dorm is one of the furthest, the walk back feels especially long and stressful,” Garg said. “I’ve started adjusting my routine: leaving places earlier, avoiding late nights at Green Library and CoDa, and sticking to well-lit or more populated paths.”

“I often call someone or share my location while walking, and I find myself thinking twice before going out at all,” Garg added.

Gabriel Rosen-Ahmed ’29, a male student and Take Back the Night attendee, shared that “friends feel less safe after the attack and have fears walking through campus alone at night that weren’t there before.”

Sanya Gupta, a first year Ph.D. student, has made changes to her everyday routine to feel more safe on campus. 

“My roommates and I used to be relatively lax about locking our doors at night but have been much more intentional about doing so since the assault,” she said. 

For many students, the sexual assault encouraged them to take precautionary steps to protect themselves. 

“Hearing the news that first Sunday back from Spring Break was heartbreaking,” incoming ASSU Executive Vice President Celeste Vargas ‘27 said in an email to The Daily. “I personally purchased pepper spray and alarms out of an abundance of caution when walking alone at night. It’s a scary time to be a woman on campus.” 

Martin and Lee both emphasized that sexual assault is more common than one might expect, and can occur in many forms and circumstances. 

“Its also important to remember that most sexual assaults that happen on our campus don’t look like that,” Martin said. “They look very, very different and are not necessarily violent with a weapon, but they happen at parties or they happen in dorms, they happen with friends.” 

“I want to validate that fear is very real and I get it as a Black woman,” Lee said. “I also want to emphasize that sexual assault is an issue that happens all the time at any time of the day…our work happens not just in response to assaults, but to also prevent them.” 

Students on campus are looking out for another, said Melanie Sabillon ’29. 

“If I know a friend is walking alone I usually tell them to text me when they arrive,” she said. “Ever since the incident I’ve been more paranoid…I usually feel safe biking because I’m biking fast so I feel as though nobody can get me.”

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