Carrying the Weight at Rutgers

This past Wednesday, a group of men and women stood in solidarity with Columbia University senior Emma Sulkowicz, whose senior thesis has sparked national interest and support. For her thesis, Emma has been carrying around her mattress to represent the emotional weight she herself must carry for being sexually assaulted – and not having Columbia University seem to care. Unfortunately, many women face Emma’s pain daily, and feel frustrated and terrible because no one seems to care about their assault. Rutgers University students carried their mattresses around campus, like Emma, and, held marches in between classes on College Ave on October 29. If students couldn’t carry their mattress they were encouraged to wear a red “x” to signify their affiliation with the movement. Emma and her supporters wish to put a stop to the stigma against speaking out against sexual assault, as well as stopping sexual assault all together.

 Women Organizing Against Harassment organized the Rutgers University movement to “Carry the Weight.” I spoke to Kaila Boulware, Public Health major at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, filled me in on the importance of what she, her fellow club members, and other supporters were trying to achieve. She emphasized the importance of this movement facilitating the awareness of sexual assault. Kaila, WOAH’s former treasurer, helps to organize Take Back the Night, an event first held last spring and to be held this spring, that raises awareness about sexual assault as well. She told me Rutgers Housing donated a few mattresses to the cause, in show of the University’s support of Carry the Weight. Passing out flyers that provided resources to men and women who are victims of sexual assault, Kaila hopes to inform the public about something she’s passionate about preventing. Sexual assault is an issue that shouldn’t occur in modern society and unfortunately still does. Emma has provided a national platform to facilitate raising awareness about this disgusting issue. Let’s hope a stop to sexual assault will come from her campaign to “Carry the Weight.”