Last Friday, September 19, the Feminist Collective decided to organize an event which would not only become part of a nationwide movement, but which also promoted resources for sexual assault survivors. According to Patricia Kotrady ‘16, the group “organized a collective carry here at Dickinson to show our solidarity” with Columbia University Student Emma Sulkowicz and other victims of sexual assault.

Sulkowicz, a senior Performing Arts major, created a display as part of her senior thesis, entitled “Carry That Weight.” In completing her project, she used her own experience with sexual assault as a starting point, as well as her frustration due to the subsequent negligence of her case by Columbia’s administration. For the past several weeks, Sulkowicz has been carrying her mattress around with her on campus, with the intention of visually expressing the degree to which sexual assault affects the victim’s conscience.

The Feminist Collective is just one of many organizations across the country standing in support with Sulkowicz. When asked why students at Columbia University began this movement, Kotrady answered, “[they] organized a collective carry in support of Emma and survivors of sexual assault everywhere. They helped Emma physically carry the weight of her mattress and held a protest on campus in response to the administration’s shortcomings in the sexual assault policy.”

Dickinson Students showed the same solidarity with Sulkowicz on Friday during Common Hour. Carrying the mattress that has served as a metaphor for Sulkowicz’s project, students marched holding signs, and went from the statue of Benjamin Rush on the Academic Quad to Britton Plaza. The signs furthered Sulkowicz’s messages against the frequent problem of sexual assault towards women. Among the signs’ slogans were: “We deserve a rape free campus,” “No means No,” “1 in 3 women will be sexually abused in the United States,” and “We all carry this weight.”

When asked about Dickinson’s protest to support Sulkowicz, Kotrady commented, “We believe this demonstration was important in conveying to the administration that we are serious about the safety and well-being of students on campus.”