Events at University of Missouri heard across the country

The University of Missouri garnered much attention in the media las week after a series of protests led the resignation of their president, Tim Wolfe. However, many may not be aware of what led to this.

There has been a string of incidents involving racism, homophobia, transphobia, and bigotry. Student Government President Peyton Head has been expressing his concerns since September after having first-hand experiences with the matter. "For those of you who wonder why I'm always talking about the importance of inclusion and respect, it's because I've experienced moments like this multiple times at THIS university, making me not feel included here," he wrote in a Facebook post.

Missouri Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin spoke out about the issue of racism and discrimination on campus and even ordered diversity and inclusion training for faculty and students in 2016. A string of protests began in September and continued through October and November. On October 10, a group of student protestors surrounded President Wolfe's car during the homecoming parade to voice their concerns. Wolfe did not respond to the students, and some reported that he smiled and laughed.

The student group Concerned Student 1950 issued a list of demands for the university, including an apology from Wolfe, his removal from office and a racial awareness and inclusion curriculum created by minority faculty and students. Still, there is no immediate response from the administrators. A week later, Wolfe met with the student group but did not agree to their demands.

On November 2, Student Leader Jonathan Butler began his hunger strike, which sparked student boycotts.

The tipping point, the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back, seemed to be the group of Mizzou football players announcing that they refused to practice to play until Wolfe was removed from office. Tim Wolfe resigned the next day.

"I think it was good that the students came together to address and fight racism on campus. I also think the football team leading the protest was interesting because it showed they were willing to shut down a huge program to her their message across," said  student Kevin Hobbes.

It seemed that many were not aware of the issues at Mizzou until they heard of Butler's hunger strike or the more recent protests.

"I didn't know what was going on until I saw a video of the journalists being blocked from the circle of faculty and students. That night my entire Twitter feed was either first-person student accounts or other people talking about what was happening in Missouri," stated student Jessica Moore. 

One of the most shocking developments came after Wolfe's resignation. Mizzou students reported that there was a group of white students driving around in pick-up trucks yelling threats and racial slurs to black students. There were also threats made on social media sites. While black students were too fearful to be on campus, the University of Missouri Alert Twitter account stated that there was no threat. Many students chose not to come to class the next day in fear of being harmed.

"I only caught the tail-end of the protests and the president resigning, but then I started seeing all these tweets about black students being threatened and I couldn't believe the University was still ignoring their claims. I wonder how it would have been different if the races were reversed," said student Christian Reeves.

The incidents leading up to the resignation of Wolfe and the events that followed thereafter had a large impact on the Missouri campus, but their message was also spread across the country. Although the issues at Mizzou were not magically solved when Wolfe resigned, this culmination of events helped to open people's eyes to the racism and bigotry that is still present in our society.

Sexual assault remains an issue despite decline in crime rates

Campuses across the nation have boasted a decline in sexual assault cases over the years but the reality is that the risk remains. 1 in 3 women and 1 in 6 men are likely to become a victim to sexual assault in their lifetime. Even with these staggering numbers, sexual assault remains one of the most least reported crimes.

The data found in the Uniform Crime Reports are consistent with the notion of a decline in incidents. However, the UCR's definition of rape has come under criticism for not applying to men or same-sex rape. In the instance that rare is reported along with a more serious crime, the latter is the only that will show up in UCR due to the hierarchy rule. If the assault occurs on a college campus, it is not unheard of that the case will be buried even if it is reported. When looking at the data, it is important to keep these things in mind along with the fact that rape is often not reported at all.

What may prevent someone from reporting their sexual assault? Many survivors feel guilt or embarrassment after the incident. They may blame themselves because their attacker was someone they know and like. In approximately 80% of instances, the perpetrator is someone the victim knows. This can also lead to fear of future harm causing them to keep quiet. Another reason is the victim may not trust the criminal justice system to deal with the case because of the prevalence of victim blaming.

College campuses have increased the amount of awareness and resources relating to sexual assault. At Western Kentucky University, this awareness begins your first week of college. WKU has implemented programs such as the Green Dot and Haven with the goal of teaching students about sexual assault and to speak up if they see something happen. A list of resources is available online and on campus to those who have experienced sexual assault.

WKU recognizes March as Sexual Assault Awareness Month and hosts a series of programs with the goal of increasing awareness on campus. These events include speakers, male faculty and students walking a mile in heels, a rally downtown called "Take Back the Night" and more. WKU's programs address that sexual assault is not limited to women, and also happens to men.

The hope for WKU and other colleges who have implemented similar programs is that by spreading knowledge about sexual assault and providing local resources, victims will be encouraged to speak up and hold their attacker accountable.

'Supernatural' Star Begins Part Four of 'Always Keep Fighting' Campaign

 The fourth t-shirt of the Always Keep Fighting campaign, which benefits non-profit organization To Write Love On Her Arms (TWLOHA), will be released on November 4. 

Television star and founder of the Always Keep Fighting campaign, Jared Padalecki, will make an announcement revealing the most recent shirt design on his Facebook page this Wednesday.

This 12 day holiday campaign will end on November 18 and can be purchased through Represent.com. 

Padalecki began this campaign in March of this year after being diagnosed with clinical depression and anxiety. He was inspired to start the t-shirt campaign by his friend and fellow actor, Stephen Amell, who has raised money for F--- Cancer through his own t-shirt campaign. With this campaign Padalecki hopes to raise awareness of depression and other mental illnesses and inspire people not to give up.


"I say constantly that there’s no shame in dealing with these things. There’s no shame in having to fight every day, but fighting every day, and presumably, if you’re still alive to hear these words or read this interview, then you are winning your war. You’re here," Padalecki stated in an interview with Variety. "You might not win every battle. There are going to be some really tough days. There might be several tough times in any given single day, but hopefully, this will help somebody to think, 'This isn’t easy; it is a fight, but I’m going to keep fighting,' and that’s why we did this shirt."

Part of the proceeds from the shirt will go to To Write Love On Her Arms. TWLOHA is a non-profit organization that seeks to bring hope to those struggling with addiction, depression, self-harm, PTSD and other mental illnesses. One of their main goals is to connect treatment and recovery to the people who need it. They continue to spread awareness through books, tours, t-shirts and social media. 

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