Why does W&M need alumni to fight sexual aggression on campus?
For decades students have worked to reduce sexual violence on college campuses. The issue of sexual assaults is nothing new, but recently the media has spotlighted the work of student activists who are fed up with battling apathetic administrations. Many schools, like ours, have student groups dedicated to reducing sexual violence and to supporting those who have experienced it. There’s an important downside to consider: student populations are transient and at some point, we all leave our alma mater.
Susy Struble, a ’93 Dartmo
uth alum who experienced a sexual assault, explains “[College administrators] know that if they can just hunker down and weather a crisis, that group of students is going to graduate sooner or later. But alumni are always around. We have a lot of influence, we have a lot of money, and we still have a lot of say on what kind of culture we have on our campuses.”
Even though we have graduated and we aren’t walking the brick paths of W&M every day, we are still members of the Tribe. Our hard work doesn’t have to be over. As alumni, we have the power to ensure that the College supports the students, faculty, and staff who are working hard to create a violence-free campus. We can choose to publicly acknowledge those who are part of the College’s progress, and we can choose to withhold monetary support from the College if we feel that the administration isn’t doing its part. Join this movement. Let’s make W&M an alma mater we’re proud of.
