The Thursday, Oct. 10 print edition of The Cavalier Daily was the sexual violence issue. With a large, stark headline reading “Sexual Violence is Not Inevitable” and the lead editorial beginning on the front page, the reader was immediately shown that this issue would be different than most. And I applaud that difference. This issue was devoted to informing, educating and advocating about the problem of sexual violence in our community generally and the University community specifically. It was an effort by a significant community institution to provide a service to its readers. Being of service to the University community in ways that are not just about reporting news is something that Editor-in-Chief Kaz Komolafe has indicated to me is important to the current managing board of The Cavalier Daily. In this case I think the writers and editors of The Cavalier Daily succeeded in being of service.
Breadth
The issue contained 14 pieces on the topic of sexual violence including news reports, the lead editorial and opinion columns. Being willing to devote essentially the entire newsmagazine apart from some sports and arts reporting provided enough space to really cover the issues around sexual violence. Associate Dean of Students Nicole Eramo, who chairs the Sexual Misconduct Board, wrote a column laying out the University’s foci and processes when an allegation of sexual misconduct is brought to the administration. Whatever one thinks of how effective or appropriate those processes are, the column is valuable and informative. It is an essential set of information if one is to try and understand sexual violence at the University.
Associate Professor of Nursing Kathryn Laughon and her students in “Gender Violence and Culture” contributed a column busting various myths about sexual violence and sexual assault. The statistics they provided are, as always, staggering. The column, like Eramo’s, is full of information one must know to be able to understand sexual violence at the University. Without both of these important columns that the Cavalier Daily sought out, the issue would not have been nearly as effective at telling the story of sexual violence at the University.
“What do I do?”, written by Darby Witherspoon, addresses the issue from a different direction. The article tries to answer the question of how to be helpful and supportive of someone who is a survivor of sexual assault. The article dovetails with the other informative columns to help offer a full picture to the reader.
Expectations
These are just a few of the many articles and columns in the sexual violence issue. It’s a fine example of a real effort to be of service to the University community. There are times when it seems that readers expect the same thing from The Cavalier Daily as they do newspapers like The New York Times or the Wall Street Journal. In terms of factual accuracy and fair reporting, we should all expect the same of all news outlets. There are times, though, when a smaller, more local paper can dig into something in ways that are specific to its community. In this case the staff of the Cavalier Daily has done an excellent job bringing attention to issues that are not only to be dealt with by women, by vulnerable people, by individuals directly affected, but by all of us as members of the University community.
Bravery
While the entire issue was impressive, Sandra Menendez’s bravery and candor in writing about her experience of survival stood out. I’ve read it a few dozen times now and continue to be amazed at her strength and willingness to share her story. I wrote above that the informative pieces by Eramo and Laughon are essential for understanding the facts about sexual violence and the administrative framework within which cases involving sexual violence are handled at the University. And Witherspoon’s article provides a starting point for those who wish to be of help to survivors. Menendez, though, provides the reason why all of this matters. I urge you all, in the strongest terms, to read her story.
Christopher Broom is The Cavalier Daily’s public editor. He can be reached at publiceditor@cavalierdaily.com or on Twitter @CDPublicEditor.
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