On Aug. 7 to 9, Carleton’s sexual assault support services hosted a three-day anti-sexual assault training for Ravens varsity athletes, called “Champions for Change.”
In a survey conducted by the federal government earlier this year, 63 per cent of university student respondents said they have experienced some type of sexual harassment.
Champions for Change—and the arrival of the new school year—presents an opportunity to discuss how certain groups of students play particular roles in enacting change on this issue. One of these groups are varsity athletes.
In addition to playing a leadership role on their campuses, varsity athletes are in a unique position when it comes to combating and ending campus sexual violence, including opposing harmful and dismissive attitudes.
These attitudes are perpetuated by a culture which historically dismissed harmful jokes as “locker-room talk,” and as a result, turned to look the other way.
Although the root problem is not an issue in university athletics alone, it lies on the shoulders of student athletes to shut down destructive rhetoric when they hear it, and never to normalize sexual violence as an expression of masculinity.
The spotlight placed on varsity athletes can be harsh, and can contribute to unfair stereotyping of athletes who are individuals whom the campus community can be proud of.
We should keep this mind, while also encouraging varsity athletes to play their part in ending sexual violence on our campus.
