Students gathered to watch "The Hunting Ground" and share their thoughts and questions about sexual assault in a conversation with a panel that included the director of the documentary. "The Hunting Ground" focuses specifically on campus sexual assault.
Students attending the viewing saw first hand how the documentary sheds light on an important subject and helps educate students on the issue of sexual assault.
"I feel that [the movie] was very informative and just made me open my eyes to how many people actually get raped and assaulted on campuses," second-year nursing student Daisa Johnson said. "You would never imagine it, that’s not something I thought to even consider when I picked the college I wanted to go to."
The panel, which sat down after the movie to speak further about the issue of sexual assault, began the discussion by each explaining one thing they took away from the film. Shannon Nix, associate director of Sexual Assault and Violence Intervention and Prevention, moderated the panel and began the discussion.
“The absolute most important thing you can do is believe someone and not blame them," Nix said. "Self-blame is inherent with trauma; it doesn’t matter the type of trauma. If someone comes to you and discloses a sexual assault and you have any thought, question, lecture, shut your mouth. Don’t say anything."
Sarah Nevarez, adult education coordinator at Sexual Trauma Services of the Midlands, served as a panelist from the community. Nevarez said that although sexual assault on campus is being addressed, the complete termination of that specific issue would not negate the fact that South Carolina has a sexual assault problem state-wide.
"Even if that problem went away tomorrow, we would still have the problem of South Carolina’s rate of sexual assault is 25 percent higher than the national average," Nevarez said. "One in seven girls and one in 15 boys in South Carolina’s high schools has already been assaulted before they even get to the university.”
Moving down the table of panelists, Kirby Dick, director of "The Hunting Ground," said he was excited to have been invited to speak about his film.
"There’s many more films to be made here," Dick said. "It is something that’s deeply rooted in our society — this tendency to not believe survivors and blame the victim. So it’s going to take more than one film or a couple of films."
During the panel discussion, counselors sat in the back of the room for anyone who needed someone to talk to. In honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month in April, the USC Women and Gender Studies program sponsored both the film screening and the panel.This year's theme of "Prevention is Possible" will continue with "Walk a Mile in Their Shoes" on April 14.