By Lauren Gottlieb
Contributing Writer

Students gathered Thursday night for Take Back the Night, an annual march held to heighten awareness of sexual and domestic assault.

"I think it’s really vital to be there to support Wesleyan’s victims of sexual assault and to be reminded just how pervasive a problem sexual violence is," said Nellie Zupancic ’00.

The number of participants this year was down to 480 students from 553 last year.

"It was great that 480 people showed up, but I was kind of wondering where everyone else at the school was," said Kristen Suzda ’02.

For the first time this year a candlelight vigil was incorporated into the march.

"This year was more powerful than last year because of the candles," Suzda said. "There’s something very hopeful about a ring of light."

The event began on the steps of Olin with musical performances by student a cappella groups, The Cardinal Sinners and Onomatopoeia. A speaker mentioned that one out of every four women and one of nine men will fall victim to sexual assault in their lifetime.

The introduction was followed by a few short poetry readings by sexual assault survivors.

From the Olin steps, the march commenced down Church Street and Lawn Avenue to the Butterfield courtyard. Middletown Police controlled traffic as marchers proceeded through the streets.

Throughout the march, participants chanted responsive lines such as, "What do we want? Freedom! When do we want it? Now!"

In the Butterfield courtyard, marchers formed a circle in which survivors of sexual assault came forward and shared their stories.

"It was very powerful and overwhelming," said Heather Wieler ’03. "It’s always a surprise to hear the stories of people I know, and people on campus."

"The speakers are the most moving part [of the evening]," said Rachel Miller ’02. "The fact that you realize it’s... not just a statistic is really powerful. It’s something you just don’t forget."

The march continued onto High Street, to the field next to the Psi-Upsilon fraternity, where participants formed the second circle. From there, the march proceeded down High Street to the Center for the Arts, where the march concluded with another circle and a candlelight vigil.

In the final circle, all of the participants held hands and counted off to determine the event’s attendance.

Take Back the Night was organized by The Women’s Resource Center, The Women of Color Collective, the Wesleyan Sexual Assault Crisis Service, and the Sexual Assault Education Program.