This Week, STAND Against Violence at Emerson

Monday, October 3 kicks off a week of events aimed at taking on power-based interpersonal violence at Emerson College and beyond.

Emerson STANDS Week is sponsored by the Office of Violence Prevention and Response (VPR), and features a range of activities around the issue of taking an active stand against violence and building the kind of community that everyone hopes to live in, according to VPR Director Melanie Matson.

The schedule opens Monday, 7:00 pm, in Room 118 of the Max Mutchnick Campus Center with a gathering to introduce students to Together We Stand, a new student-led group aimed at campus violence prevention.

Beginning Monday, and throughout the week, information tables will be set up in the Dining Hall during lunch. And Monday through Thursday, people can take part in a public art project, Take a Stand, inspired by this summer’s Public Trust art exhibit in Copley Square, Matson said.  

“It’s a banner, and people can write and/or decorate if they really want to get into it, about their commitment either to themselves or to their community,” Matson said.

The banner will be in the Campus Center from 4:00-6:00 pm, Monday through Wednesday, and in the Iwasaki Library from 3:00-5:00 pm on Thursday. It may eventually be displayed on the tenth floor of the Walker Building, or it may migrate to spots around campus, Matson said. 

Tuesday, October 4, 7:00-9:00 pm, will be the first of a weekly, month-long program called the Emerson STANDS Action Series, featuring interactive activities, videos, discussions and brainstorming sessions.

“We’ll be talking about equipping folks with the knowledge and skills and tools to utilize active bystander intervention, and to brainstorm how to shape the culture into [one] they want to be a part of,” Matson said.

Those sessions, held each Tuesday in October, will take place in the Cabaret.

Finally, on Thursday, October 6, the week will close out with an Open Mic Night in the Campus Center, where students can sing, speak, dance, or otherwise express themselves about issues related to violence and culture.

“We’re hoping to welcome new community members into Emerson STANDS,” Matson said of the week of events, “and also to reinvigorate folks who  have been around Emerson STANDS.”