February 6, 1997

Teach ins = an ingnorant idea
My Turn
Renee Cagle
Managing Editor

Freedom. It's a word we all have taken for granted sometime in our life. Now our freedom is being threatened on this campus and we need to protect it.

On Tuesday all residence halls were "locked down," which meant no one could have visitors, to encourage awareness of rape. Along with this, all halls had "teach ins" about rights, responsibilities and relationships. These meetings were mandatory. So guess what, there wasn't a choice.

These actions are a result of the recent incidences of rape on and off campus this school vear. I applaud the University's efforts to educate the student body about J rape but I don't believe we should be forced into it. What's the point?

This "lock down" did nothing but anger students, especially women. I can't speak for all women, but I feel like I am being punished for being a female college student. Most women felt the same way throughout the day about the fact they could have no visitors. It was like the University was telling you who you could be friends with, like your parents.

Another aspect of this issue that bothered me was the sign which announced the "teach-in" at my residence hall. First, it said the meeting was mandatory. Second, it said I needed to come to "protect my privileges." What is that supposed to mean? Protect my privilege to come and go as I please. Protect my privilege to see my boyfriend when I want. Protect my privilege to have a life. Protect my privilege to be a woman. Excuse me, but the last time I checked these were my rights. Here's a tip to the University: Read the Constitution.

I believe all this nonsense does is encourage students not to listen. These "teach-ins" were really not taken seriously by anyone because their choice was taken away.

Another problem I had with these "teach-ins" was the language used to describe them. For instnace, in the dorms they were mandatory, but off-campus students were cordially invited to them at the student union. I know it is impossible to make off-campus students come to meetings and I know they don't make up the majority of students on campus. But how many students do you think attended the meeting in the union?

The entire atmosphere for that entire day was oppressive and I felt it. And I didn't like it. Unfortunately this could become an every day thing here at Appalachian.

My Resident Assistant told my floor that the Board of Trustees and this new Task Force for Student Life will be deciding whether we have any visiting rights at all. I use the word rights because that is what they are. I believe I am educated and cautious enough on this campus. I have attended seminars on rape, assault and sexual harassment. I am educated on the matter and so are most of the residents in my hall.

I believe the People who lack education on rape are some men. They really don't understand what it is or what it does to a woman. There was a blatant example of this in my floor's "teach-in" last night. In the midst of discussion, a male student Or said,"That girl came out of that room laughing and smiling and now we have to pay for it." I was so shocked that for the first time in my life I was speechless.

I was appalled because the residents of my dorm are all upperclassmen and graduate students. For some reason I just assumed someone of my age and class would be I don't know, SMART. I guess I should not go around assuming.

I can't say I have any answers to the problems Appalachian has faced recently. But I do know that locking us in our dorms is not the answer. If our rights are taken away, we might as well go back to the 1950s when women at ASU couldn't leave their dorms past 5 p.m. We cannot let the administration and the Board of Trustees turn ASU into a prison.

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