Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox.
Subscribe to our newsletter here.

Be With Survivors Syracuse University relaunched its “Release Your Rage” initiative through Instagram on Aug. 25 to allow students to express their frustration about sexual assault and relationship violence at SU.

Release Your Rage 2.0 is a Google form where students can anonymously submit their concerns about sexual violence on campus, said Jessica Rosen, BWSSU president and founding member. The first iteration of the initiative began in the summer of 2022.

“We wanted to create this for survivors or people who are just sick of all of the sexual assault and rapes that are going on on campus as a way for people to get all that rage and energy out there,” said Rosen, a junior in the School of Education.

BWSSU — formerly known as Stand with Survivors SU — began in 2021 as a survivor-led organization that aims to support and advocate for survivors on campus, former co-president and executive board member Kayla Turner said.

“It basically came out of a need for supporting survivors on Syracuse’s campus and just the righteous indignation that a lot of people felt surrounding how the culture is perpetuated on this campus,” said Turner, a senior studying neuroscience in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Maymuna Rahman, a junior studying psychology and neuroscience, wrote in a statement to The Daily Orange that BWSSU works to create a safe environment for all survivors on campus.

“Regardless of social constructs, every single person, every single survivor, deserves to be treated with grace and respect,” Rahman wrote.

In 2022, two SU students, Evan Bode and Sarah Aristy, used the anonymous responses to create a short film with stock footage from around SU’s campus at the end of the fall semester. Rosen said that she would like to do something similar if BWSSU receives enough responses on the form.

BWSSU has led several protests on campus, including a protest against several Interfraternity Council chapters in September 2021 and a peaceful protest on the anniversary of Columbine in April. The group also released a manifesto in October 2021 with 18 demands for SU administrators to properly address sexual misconduct issues on campus.

“It’s important for the campus to uplift the voices of people who are marginalized and people who are survivors of violence to feel like they have a space here, to feel like they can continue their education in ways that are supportive for them, and also in ways that validate their experiences and empower them to feel like this is their space too,” Turner said.

In addition to the relaunch of Release Your Rage, Rosen said the organization has been undergoing the application process in hopes of becoming a registered student organization on campus.

As Rahman begins work as a planning and arts chair for BWSSU in her first semester with the group, she said she’ll be working on timelines and logistics for events and projects alongside other members.

“It’s no secret that there’s a thriving rape culture on SU’s campus. No one should have to be a survivor, and not enough is being done,” Rahman wrote. “Being a part of BWSSU means being able to use my voice for the community and advocate for the students at SU.”

BWSSU is hosting a Red-Zone Awareness Vigil — the organization’s first event of the 2023-24 academic year – on Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. outside the Hall of Languages. The vigil will encourage students to be more aware of the high levels of sexual violence on college campuses during the fall semester, which is known as the Red Zone.

Turner referenced data from the Me Too movement’s website, which states that 50% of sexual assaults on college campuses occur during the start fall semester through Thanksgiving break. She said she hopes to keep amplifying the voices of students and survivors in meaningful and impactful ways.

“I think the nature of Be With Survivors Syracuse has always been so kind and centered around healing first and then healing and restorative justice for survivors,” Turner said. “At times that message gets mixed up, especially when we’re doing work that is rooted in advocacy and is rooted in protests, but the very nature of it is to be a healing center for students who’ve experienced violence on campus.”

Published on September 21, 2023 at 12:21 am

Contact Kendall: kaluther@syr.edu