Carry That Weight
On April 18, 2013, Emma Sulkowicz of Columbia University reported to her campus administration that she was sexually assaulted by a fellow student. Over a year later, after a lackluster investigation, Emma and her rapist still attend the same institution, and he has not received any repercussions for the crime that he committed despite the fact that two other students at the school also accused the same person of sexual assault. From this, Emma, a visual arts major at the university, began her project called "Carry That Weight," where she carries the mattress on which she was raped to all classes, social outings and anything else she is doing, until her rapist no longer attends the same institution as her. She is not allowed to ask for help, but if others offer to help her carry the weight, then she may allow them.In collaboration with Emma’s project, Carry That Weight Day of Action, planned by Zoe Ridolfi and Allie Rickard, is an event intended to show support for sexual assault survivors—especially those who were assaulted on campus. Students were encouraged to carry a mattress, either alone or in a group of friends, wherever they went to show the burden that such a violation can have. Emma Sulkowicz remarks that the burden is only lightened when others offer support and solidarity: "We can only get through this day if we collaborate and help each other carry this weight."In this, we, as Exonians, should continue to show support and try to change the way that schools treat sexual assault. This event helped to give a voice to those across all campuses who were not protected and were not given a voice by the institution. Just as Emma said in her recent Columbia Spectator Op-Ed, "Rape is serious. It is a crime. It is grave, heavy, hard to deal with and emotionally debilitating in too many ways to list," and having to live on a campus that does not offer aid or any sense of security while also having to deal with academic responsibilities magnifies suffering.Sexual assault doesn't end with carrying a mattress. There is no sphere of the world which is not affected by sexual assault. Exeter is an institution, as are the colleges which many Exonians will be moving on to. Institutions have the responsibility of keeping the people that find themselves inside them safe, but right now many do not. This is not only the responsibility of the administrators but also our responsibility, as one community, to raise awareness of the issues we face. This responsibility cannot be left only to the survivors. Everybody must do their part to lighten the burden of injustice and show that the experiences of everybody in the community are affected by these wrongdoings. Institutions cannot change and improve until the people who live in them do so. Problems can't be solved until we acknowledge them. Safer institutions will not be formed until we make them.