More than 100 students and faculty rallied Thursday on the Syracuse University Quad as part of a walkout protesting Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination and sexual assault on campus.

Several speakers urged the crowd to call their senators and demand they vote against Kavanaugh’s nomination. The U.S. Senate is expected to vote on the judge’s nomination on Saturday, three days after the FBI submitted a confidential report on allegations of sexual misconduct made by three women.

At the SU protest, the second in the last two weeks, students said they stand in solidarity with Christine Blasey Ford, the first of the three women to come forward, and with all survivors of sexual assault. Ford alleges that Kavanaugh assaulted her at a high school house party in 1982. Kavanaugh has denied the allegations of all three women.

“Brett Kavanaugh didn’t go to Syracuse University but he might as well have,” said Clark Bermudez, a SUNY-ESF student and member of SU’s chapter of the International Socialist Organization.

Protesters Crystal Letona, Abby Henry, Janet Flores and Clark Bermudez address the crowd on issues of sexual violence. Dan Lyon | Staff Photographer

Abby Henry, an SU student in the College of Arts and Sciences, directed a call to action toward Chancellor Kent Syverud. She said Syverud has been silent on issues of sexual assault, and his administration has failed to enact real change.  

“Dear Kent, we do not care that you have a new dog,” Henry said in reference to Syverud’s campus-wide email about adopting a dog.  “This campus is rocked by rape culture, discrimination and inequality. We care about combating inequality, combating rape culture and combating discrimination. Why don’t you?”

Henry, a member of Students Advocating Sexual Safety and Empowerment, asked what Syverud will do to end rape culture on campus and protect SU students.  

Many students skipped class or left early to attend the protest, which was sponsored by College Democrats, SASSE and the ISO.

Walter Freeman, a physics professor, said participating in events like Thursday’s walkout is a part of students’ education. He said the protesters were “assuming (their) birthright as the leaders of tomorrow” by refusing to accept the world as it has been handed to them.

Mariah Bermeo, a senior social studies education major and vice president of SASSE, stood on the steps of Hendricks Chapel as she read an open letter to the person who Bermeo said sexually assaulted her.

“I was a child when you did this to me. I didn’t understand rape culture. I didn’t know what you were doing,” Bermeo said. “But, at that moment you exposed me to the reality of our world, where rape and being sexually harassed is normalized because people do not talk about it.”

Some people in the crowd began to cry as Bermeo recounted her experience. She said Kavanaugh’s nomination didn’t come as a surprise to her, but she refuses to allow rape culture to be normalized.

“The abuser does not become the abuser overnight,” she said. “As for the people who have been abused: I see you, I hear you, I believe you.”

Bermeo wasn’t the only sexual assault survivor in the crowd. Several students spoke about their own experiences or those of people they know. One student said those who can’t count the number of survivors they know on one hand are lucky.  

Freshmen Abigail Tick and Nicole Aramboles react to one of the women speaking at the walkout. Corey Henry | Staff Photographer

Supporting sexual assault survivors was a common theme of the protest. Speakers thanked survivors for sharing their stories and speaking out despite how painful it can be. The crowd chanted “We believe survivors” and “End rape culture” several times.

Nicole Aramboles, a freshman communication and rhetorical studies major, held a sign that read, “Boys will be held accountable for their actions.” She attended a similar protest last Thursday on the Quad, where students protested Kavanaugh’s nomination as Ford gave her testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Aramboles said that since last week she’s been groped and harassed at a party, and had to explain to a boy why it wasn’t funny to keep touching her after she told him to stop.

“Even those people we consider our friends, our family members, we need to hold them accountable,” she said. “We need to check ourselves as well. We need to check our privilege.”

Bermudez and other speakers applauded men in the audience for their participation and urged them to confront their friends about their behavior. Joseph Lino, a senior political science major, said looking inward can be difficult but men have to recognize their “role and responsibility in ending rape culture.”

Sarah Epelman, a senior and former president of SU’s College Democrats emphasized how important it was that people showed up.    

“We are powerful,” Epelman said. “Our ideas are thoughtful, our rage is valid and our momentum is strong. Don’t let this moment die.”

Published on October 4, 2018 at 9:28 pm

Contact Casey: [email protected] | @caseydarnell_