{"243661":{"#nid":"243661","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Open Letter to Campus, in Response to Phi Kappa Tau Email","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EDear Georgia Tech Students, Faculty and Staff,\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEarlier this week, an email written by a Georgia Tech fraternity member to his chapter was widely circulated throughout our community and picked up by various news sources. The email directly encourages the use of alcohol as a coercive tool for nonconsensual sexual activity. The email and behavior described within it is reprehensible. At Georgia Tech, we define consent as an agreement that is informed, freely and actively given, and not coerced in any way. This email attempts to advance a rape culture that normalizes and even encourages sexual violence on college campuses and in society at large.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile this email came from a member of a fraternity, the issue of sexual violence is not limited to the Greek community. We take a wider community approach that advocates everyone has a role to play in sexual violence prevention. We applaud the courage of those who came forward to the administration about this email and recognize their actions as a step in challenging this inexcusable behavior.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech takes this issue seriously. \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/voice.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EVOICE\u003C\/a\u003E is Georgia Tech\u2019s sexual violence prevention and advocacy initiative that strives to create a campus culture that encourages respect, communication, and equity. VOICE believes that everyone has the right to live and learn free of violence or the threat of violence. This initiative is led by the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/womenscenter.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EWomen\u2019s Resource Center\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/health.gatech.edu\/promotion\/Pages\/default.aspx\u0022\u003EHealth Promotion\u003C\/a\u003E, and is comprised of multiple campus stakeholders.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EVOICE has a number of ongoing programs and events targeted at sexual violence prevention. A few upcoming programs are:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003ESafe Sister, TONIGHT, 5\u20139 p.m.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EAlly Training, Oct. 25, 8:30 a.m \u2013 noon\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EFraternity Men Against Violence (part of Man Up Week), Nov. 13, 5\u20139 p.m.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EAdvocate Training, Nov. 22, 8:30 a.m. \u2013 5 p.m.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EOngoing presentations to classes or student organizations by request.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThese are just a few of the ways we engage students, faculty and staff on this issue. For information and to register for these and other programs, please visit \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/voice.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Evoice.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E. We recognize that this student\u2019s email has made many in our community feel unsafe, victimized, or \u0022triggered.\u0022 VOICE will be holding open office hours on Thursday from 2:30\u20135 p.m. and Friday from 1\u20134 p.m. in the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/womenscenter.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EWomen\u0027s Resource Center\u003C\/a\u003E (Suite 131, Smithgall Student Services Building) for those in need of support or advocacy. Throughout the year, an Advocate is available in the Women\u0027s Resource Center Monday\u2013Friday, 9 a.m.\u20135 p.m. by appointment, and for emergency after hours through the Georgia Tech Police Department.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor more information on sexual violence resources on campus and in the community, or to get involved, please visit \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/voice.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Evoice.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E or email \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:voice@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Evoice@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPlease join us as we work to create a campus culture that does not tolerate sexual violence.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOn behalf of the VOICE Initiative:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMelanie DeMaeyer\u003C\/strong\u003E, Coordinator of the Women\u2019s Resource Center \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELee Helmken\u003C\/strong\u003E, Violence Prevention Health Educator \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EVladimir Oge\u003C\/strong\u003E, Director of Health Promotion \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EColleen Riggle\u003C\/strong\u003E, Assistant Dean and Director of the Women\u2019s Resource Center\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EEarlier this week, an email written by a Georgia Tech fraternity member to his chapter was widely circulated throughout our community and picked up by various news sources. The email and behavior described within it is reprehensible.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"VOICE is Georgia Tech\u2019s sexual violence prevention and advocacy initiative"}],"uid":"27299","created_gmt":"2013-10-09 09:33:59","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:15:05","author":"Michael Hagearty","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-10-09T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2013-10-09T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"243621":{"id":"243621","type":"image","title":"VOICE Initiative","body":null,"created":"1449243704","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 15:41:44","changed":"1475894919","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:48:39","alt":"VOICE Initiative","file":{"fid":"197857","name":"_mg_2912.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/_mg_2912_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/_mg_2912_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":5233980,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/_mg_2912_0.jpg?itok=YW5ZCB1_"}}},"media_ids":["243621"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/voice.gatech.edu\/plugins\/content\/index.php?id=76","title":"VOICE Events and Training"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.counseling.gatech.edu\/","title":"Georgia Tech Counseling Center,"},{"url":"http:\/\/police.gatech.edu\/","title":"GTPD"}],"groups":[{"id":"1317","name":"News Briefs"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EVOICE: Sexual Violence Advocacy and Prevention Initiative\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:voice@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Evoice@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}