NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State University students are leading efforts to prevent sexual assault on campus and initiated an agreement between the university, law enforcement and healthcare agencies that creates awareness and empowers survivors and bystanders to take action. A student group, Demons Support Demons, coordinated the Natchitoches and NSU coalition and the signing of a memorandum of understanding with University Police, the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office, Natchitoches Police Department, Natchitoches Parish District Attorney’s Office, Natchitoches Regional Medical Center and Natchitoches Coroner’s Office that delineates procedures for reporting, investigating and adjudicating cases quickly and fairly.
“Campus and community coalitions like this have formed all over the United States,” said Frances Conine, NSU dean of students and Title IX coordinator. “We do it because it is the right thing to do. These efforts are student-led. The goals are to change, educate and empower people to speak out for survivors and for intervention.”
Students Courtney Billiot, Karla Ewing, Joshua Fontenot, Devon Hamm and Pearlie Jones initiated Demons Support Demons as part of a class group dynamics project. They worked with Conine and Lori LeBlanc, deputy Title IX coordinator and director of special projects, on activities intended to raise awareness and educate students in tandem with It’s On Us, a national movement to end campus sexual violence.
According to Billiot, one in five women and one in 16 men will be sexually assaulted in college. Eight out of 10 survivors know their attackers. Of those, only 13 percent of assaults are reported to authorities while 82 percent are reported to friends.
“Our goal is to grow a campaign against sexual assault on campus,” Billiot said. “We want survivors and bystanders to know its ok to tell. Our first step was in creating Demons Support Demons.”
The group is taking steps to make Demons Support Demons a Registered Student Organization and has organized focus, support and mentoring groups to discuss and educate students about the issues. During It’s On Us National Week of Action, the group held informationals, encouraged students to sign pledge boards and organized an awareness walk with participation and support from other student groups and NSU administrators.
“One of the great aspects of this community is the way we work together seamlessly with the parish, the city, law enforcement and the medical community,” said NSU President Dr. Jim Henderson. “This conversation as dominated college campuses across the country and NSU is being proactive in addressing policies before a situation can occur.”
Natchitoches Mayor Lee Posey thanked the students for seeing the cooperative initiative through to the signing of the memorandum, which will be reviewed every two years.
“I hope this will carry over into the community,” Posey said.
Funding for some of Demons Support Demons projects came from the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office, Natchitoches Regional Medical Center and Campus Living Villages with printed materials created by students in NSU’s graphic communications department.
As the semester comes to a close, the students don’t intend to let their actions end with the completion of their class project.
“We’d like to continue the and get the information out there. It’s on us. We can make a culture change,” Ewing said.
For more information on sexual assault prevention and awareness at NSU and nationally, visit nsula.edu/notalone, itsonus.org or notalone.gov.