Boston University theater groups are coming together to implement a new sexual assault response and prevention committee specifically catered to students within these groups.
The committee consists of members from Stage Troupe, BU On Broadway, Wandering Minds and The Shakespeare Society.
The SARP committee aims to provide a safe space for those involved in theater, according to junior Alice El-Ouazzane, who is the secretary of Wandering Minds and acts for Stage Troupe.
“When you’re in the acting world, it’s very vulnerable and there’s a lot of boundaries that are being considered,” El-Ouazzane said. “It’s especially important in the theater world, where we’re involving a lot of our bodies and emotions.”
Senior Mimi Brown, vice president of Stage Troupe, said the committee hopes to integrate the various theater groups into each other’s shows and rehearsal environments.
The committee will consist of two members from each BU theater club. The members are a representative from the E-board of each club and a single membership representative, according to senior Kathryn Banish, secretary of The Shakespeare Society.
“If we have point people from other groups coming in to check in on each other, it will create a more inclusive atmosphere,” Brown said.
Creating a centralized system between all theater groups is an important aspect in order for productive conversations to happen, Banish said. This method will allow information to be shared across groups.
Before the new SARP committee each theater group had an anonymous form where members could make complaints. However, despite anonymity, those who read the complaints were “very likely to know who’s going to have said it,” said El-Ouazzane.
The idea for a SARP committee was proposed in a meeting the theater network held at the start of the semester known as BUT Summit, which is where members discuss their aspirations for the future of the theater groups.
To establish the committee, the members plan on doing trainings with both BU SARP and the club One Love to establish a system that makes students involved in theater feel safer.
One Love aims to foster conversations regarding “healthy and unhealthy relationship behaviors,” according to their web description on Terrier Central.
BU SARP is working with different clubs to create new organizational norms and expectations as a preventative measure to make sure students feel safe.
“My perspective is, the more people who are dedicated to this issue, the better. I know that our department can’t serve everyone, and we have a campus of 30,000 plus students” said Ashley Slay, associate director of interpersonal violence prevention at SARP.
However, according to senior Ava Ascher, president of BU On Broadway, the process of reporting to SARP can feel intense, despite the resources the office provides.
“People go there when stuff has already happened,” said Ascher. “It is more authoritative.”
Brown said she wants the committee to foster a space that can be brought into the wider external community.
“Learning how to advocate for yourself is something that’s so important as we move into adulthood,” Brown said. “That’s something that I want to teach and help make possible.”