By Andrea Calderon

Copy Chief

On Wednesday, April 29, Take Back the Night was held at the Student Union Patio of CSU Bakersfield.

The evening was spent sharing and discussing experiences of sexual and domestic abuse as part of The Consent Project. The Consent Project is meant to educate students, staff, faculty, and administrators about sexual and domestic violence.

The discussion was led by Janet Millar from the CSUB Counseling Center and was the first to share her experience of sexual abuse. When Millar was 19, she was sexually abused by her partner.

She considered it normal since they were in a relationship, but she realized it was not normal when she attempted suicide by swallowing pills.

“I have an interest in non-violence, particularly, non-violence in relationships,” said Millar.

She also shared statistics she described as “staggering.”

According to Millar, one out of six women will be sexually assaulted, with one of three of those assaults occurring in college. Roughly 70 percent of sexual assaults are reported to authorities. She also said that 70 percent of sexual assaults that occur involve the use of drugs or alcohol by one or both parties.

“A lot of minors won’t tell because they don’t want to say they’ve engaged in illegal acts,” said Millar. “I suspect the statistics are higher.”

The attendee turnout was low with only about 10 people being part of Take Back the Night, most of which were women.

However, Eric Lord from the CSUB Counseling Center gave a male viewpoint.

Lord said he is not “a huge fan of how women and men are treated” when they report a case of sexual assault.

He said it takes between “three to six months to begin to feel the symptoms such as anxiety.”

Sharda McPherson, a CSUB psychology major, shared her experience with domestic abuse.

“I’m a child of a domestic abuse victim,” said McPherson.

McPherson shared that her mother was murdered when she was nine years old, at the hands of her partner.

McPherson said the day it happened; she and her 13-year-old brother drove their mother to the hospital, where she died.

“I saw most of it,” said McPherson. “I was the youngest.”

She said for a while she was in denial to the fact that she needed counseling and was eventually diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Another victim of sexual assault was CSUB alumna Ashley Zaragoza.

Two men assaulted her a couple of years ago. She knows who the men are and initially filed a case against them.

However, she dropped the case since it involved her friend and drugs were involved.

Before the event ended, those who participated in Take Back the Night walked around campus chanting songs promoting courage and non-violence while holding a small electric candle, representing the victims of sexual and domestic abuse.

The walk began at the Student Union Patio, passed in front of the library, made their way down the red brick road all the way to the science buildings and back to the Student Union Patio.

The event ended with the group gathering in a circle honoring the victims of domestic and sexual abuse. The Consent Project will continue to hold events regarding sexual assault and domestic abuse.