Sexual Respect in the #MeToo Landscape
As the new academic year begins, sexual respect is front and center in discussions on and off campus, as allegations regarding sexual misconduct pervade the news in all sectors, from media and the arts to government and academia. The good news is that we, as a community, are talking about these issues more than ever before – and that much of the conversation on campus is about how best to make positive change.
Just last week students from nearly every Columbia school signed up to be Ambassadors for the Sexual Respect and Community Citizenship Initiative, which launches today – and with the Initiative’s start, every student on campus has a chance to get involved.
You probably already know that Tarana Burke started the #metoo movement in 2006, well before there were Twitter hashtags. Her point? To seek empowerment through empathy – to show the world how widespread and pervasive sexual violence is and to let those who have experienced abuse know they are not alone.
Here at Columbia, the question is how we, as a community, can put an end to gender-based misconduct both on campus and beyond. Sexual Respect, after all, is a fundamental University value: It is a commitment to communicating and acting with integrity and respect for others.