When it comes to rape on college campuses, 90 percent of the perpetrators know the victims, according to Dr. Jackson Katz, co-founder of the Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP).
“A lot of people are aware of these things,” said Katz. “What we need to do is do something about it and do something in a more systematic way.”
Dr. Katz, an educator, author, and filmmaker, was invited by the University Student Union (USU), Oct. 1, to speak to CSUN students in the Grand Salon, USU, about gender violence and different ways students can bring more awareness among the male population to prevent sexual and homophobic violence.
“I think part of the problem is that we call theses issues woman’s issues,” said Katz. “We need to start standing with women”
Students came to the Grand Salon early filling in the chairs and crowding alongside the walls, and around the entryway waiting to hear Dr. Katz began his lecture, “Tough Guise: Violence, Media, and the Crisis in Masculinity.”
Katz, an international speaker, author, filmmaker, and cultural theorist, is known for visiting public schools educating students in preventing gender violence emphasizing that media violence is an integral part of perceiving both women and men as “bystanders”, or neglecting to take action in a sexual situations.
“This (event) was a response from the Woman’s Center to let men know it’s just not about women,” said Professor Shira Brown, director of the Women’s Resource and Research Center, and professor of gender and women studies. “It’ s gender problem and we need to look at it that way.”
Dr. Katz finished off his lecture with an open Q&A interacting with the students and getting their comments.
“I was very taken by how many students said they have been directly affected by violent masculinity, whether as a victim, bystander or knowing the perpetrator or victim” said Professor Eisenstock, professor of Gender and Media Studies. “We all need to take action and students have two powerful tools for social change.”
Tools, referring to the everyday accessibility students have such as media technology and the notion that students should take action by not supporting television shows or movies promoting gender violence.
Recently finished with his new documentary movie, “Tough Guise 2” which shows how boys are influenced by media and society eventually molded in to being “macho” men, Katz shared a quick preview with the students.
“I feel a lot of these documentaries should be put out more instead of the Hollywood movies,” said Joey Reynoso, 24, gender and women’s studies major. “If we spent the money we use on making those films to instead make things that would educate us, it would make a huge component in dealing with this issue.”
Other students appeared to have the same consensus when it came to tackling this issue.
“I thought this speech was very informative,” said Tiffany Randle, 20, photojournalism major. “It reached the right audience as far as coming to a college campus where sexual harassment typically happens.”
For more information on how you can learn about gender violence prevention, please visit http://www.mvpstrategies.net.
“We all need to be more socially responsible and socially active,” said Reynos
