Solidarity Statement with Professor Ravina

TW - sexual harassment

On March 23, 2016, Columbia Professor Enrichetta Ravina spoke out in a New York Times article about the gender discrimination and sexual harassment she has experienced at Columbia, and Columbia administrators’ unwillingness to keep her safe.

As an organization that works to combat sexual and dating violence, we find Columbia’s actions egregious. Columbia’s lack of care for the well-being of Professor Ravina sadly echoes stories we’ve heard time and time again from survivors on campus who feel unsafe due to administrative inaction. In an institution that prides itself on fostering intellectual growth, the fact that Columbia would so blatantly disrespect one of its own professors is appalling.

In bravely coming forward to share her story, Professor Ravina has helped shed light on the too frequently ignored epidemic of sexual harassment in higher education. We stand in solidarity with her and her pursuit of justice.

Statement on Dean Kromm's Op/Ed

TW - sexual violence

A No Red Tape organizer handing Dean Kromm the signatures from our petition.

On Tuesday, March 9, 2016, we did a petition drop to give Dean Kromm a copy of our petition asking her to apologize for her comments excusing perpetrators and endorse our SAAFE campus demands. Today, Dean Kromm issued a statement in the Columbia Daily Spectator clarifying her comments.

We commend Dean Kromm for both coming out of her office to hear us read our demands and taking the time to write a statement in response, but we also want to reaffirm our stance that sexual violence of all forms can have equally significant impacts on survivors. We do not think certain forms of sexual assault are necessarily more “severe” or worthy of being addressed than others.

We hope that Dean Kromm will come out in support of banning all students found responsible for Gender-Based Misconduct from being Orientation Leaders and TAs. Anyone who violates someone else’s personal space has no place being a guide for incoming students, a job that requires a heightened sense of personal boundaries and leadership, nor in charge of determining students’ grades.

We also hope Dean Kromm will support survivor-centric policies, like our SAAFE campus demands, that will greatly improve the safety of students on campus.

Dean Kromm: Apologize for Excusing Perpetrators, Prioritize Student Safety

Trigger warning: sexual violence

We were disappointed to learn that Columbia University’s Dean of Undergraduate Student Life, Cristen Kromm, was quoted on March 2, 2016 in the Columbia Daily Spectator explaining why perpetrators of sexual assault should still hold leadership positions in orientation programs. In the article, Kromm excused perpetrators of sexual assault for their actions, and presented gender-based violence as a “mistake,” an opportunity for “learning, growth and change.”

Like the rest of the Columbia University administration, Kromm is apparently more concerned about the well-being and emotional “growth” of perpetrators than she is about the safety of students on this campus.

If Kromm was truly invested in creating a campus where community members treated each other with respect, she would actively support demands, such as our call for a 24-hour rape crisis center, that would improve direct services for survivors and make Columbia a safer place for all students. Instead, she is continuing to support a harmful status quo which endangers particularly the youngest and most vulnerable among us, and explicitly pardons future occurrences of sexual violence.

We demand that Dean Kromm issue a public apology as well as a statement of support for our SAAFE demands.

SIGN OUR PETITION!

In Solidarity with All Survivors

Trigger warning: sexual assault

It has come to our attention that The Columbia Daily Spectator published an op/ed that sought to delegitimize the experiences of survivors of sexual violence whose experiences don’t conform to traditional rape narratives. Included in this article was imagery alluding to No Red Tape’s Days on Campus action last year when we projected “rape happens here” on Low Library. In the article, a question mark was inserted at the end, insinuating that because certain survivors’ experiences don’t fit the author’s definition of sexual assault, they aren’t worthy of inclusion in conversations about the epidemic of sexual violence on campus.

We find this article and its attempted appropriation of our action abhorrent. All survivors have the right to be recognized, regardless of their identity, the identity (or identities) of their perpetrator(s), and the physical actions that occurred during their assault.

To all survivors whose experiences were mocked in the article, we at No Red Tape want to affirm that your experiences matter. You deserve recognition, support, and safety, and we’ll continue to advocate for your rights on campus until all types of sexual violence are eradicated and all survivors are supported.

Solidarity Statement with CDCJ

Last week, Columbia Divest for Climate Justice received notice that they might face disciplinary action for their protest against BP and were then forced to meet with Columbia's Rules Administrator, Suzanne Goldberg, regarding their actions.

We are disappointed that rather than address the damage caused by Columbia's investments in fossil fuel, Columbia is principally concerned with silencing free speech. In threatening CDCJ members with disciplinary action for violating Columbia's ambiguous Rules of Conduct — rules which Goldberg, who was not democratically elected to her position, has a personal investment in enforcing against student protesters — Columbia is depriving CDCJ members of their right to protest and receive an equal education.

As an organization that understands the importance of direct action and the destruction Columbia's investments inflict upon the planet, particularly against Black people and people of color, we stand in solidarity with CDCJ. We as students have the right and the duty to speak out against the gross inaction of Columbia's admin.