More than 40 students relaxed on blankets, some with their shoes off, for the Take Back the Night rally at the Saxon Volleyball Court on Thursday night.
The rally, meant to educate students about sexual violence, was run through the Clothesline Project and funded by the Undergraduate Students Association Council.
Musicians and speakers rallied, and the event culminated in a candlelight vigil and march to usher in the change of name of the “Rape Trail” to the “Saxon Steps.”
“I think it’s great people are willing to come … especially for college students to acknowledge rape happens and sexual violence happens,” said Karina Garcia, Take Back the Night chair for the Clothesline Project.
While the musicians were UCLA students and recent graduates, the speakers were from the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network.
Christina Chala, a graduate student in women’s studies and former Clothesline Project chair, spoke about sexual violence in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, and the importance of not stereotyping victims and aggressors by gender or sexual preference.
Survivors shared their personal stories as a form of catharsis, as well as to educate the audience. One survivor spoke about being afraid to sleep at night because of recurring nightmares of her assaulter’s face and the emotional rollercoaster of self-loathing, denial, anger, blame and acceptance.
“Being raped once was enough, to imagine it again every night was terrible,” she said.
“Sharing such graphic stories serves to educate the public about the reality of sexual assault,” said Ruth Do, a member of the Clothesline Project.
“The more people who know about sexual violence, the less afraid victims will be to speak out about it.”
The rally concluded with a march from the “Rape Trail” down to De Neve Plaza.
Students have colloquially been referring to the trail through the Saxon Suites to Gayley Avenue. as the “Rape Trail” for many years, but both USAC leaders and Office of Residential Life resident directors have found the moniker unacceptable.
Because the only time sexual assault is addressed on campus is in a callous way, Kristo Globin, resident director of Saxon Suites, said it undermines the wounds of the victims of sexual violence.
Bridget Le Loup, resident director of Hedrick Summit, said she was taken aback and appalled when she first heard a student use the term “Rape Trail.”
Along with resident directors, student government and the university have decided to rename the trail.
Former USAC Facilities commissioner Sherlyn Mossahebfar worked with Nancy Greenstein, director of police community services for university police and Jack Powazek, assistant vice chancellor of general services, to put up four official signs renaming the trail.
“We want to make it so students at UCLA feel more safe, and it’s a better environment to have something not called the “˜Rape Trail,'” Mossahebfar said.
Some students have been very resistant to the change, and have gone as far as vandalizing and ripping down signs renaming the trail “Saxon Trail.”
Garcia said this is unacceptable and insulting to victims of sexual violence. A new set of signs was put up on Thursday.
Even though current students might not accept the new name, administrators are hopeful it will catch on for future generations of UCLA students.
“This change is going to be slow, it’s going to be painful, it’s going to be progress,” Globin said.