BU theater groups work together to create sexual assault response and prevention committee – The Daily Free Press

Boston University theater groups are coming together to create a new sexual assault response and prevention committee aimed specifically at students in these groups.

The committee includes members of Stage Troupe, BU On Broadway, Wandering Minds and the Shakespeare Society.

The goal of the SARP committee is to create a safe space for all theater professionals, said junior Alice El-Ouazzane, Wandering Minds secretary and Stage Troupe actress.

“When you’re in the acting world, you’re very vulnerable and there are a lot of boundaries that have to be taken into account,” El-Ouazzane said. “This is especially important in the theater world, where we involve a lot of our bodies and emotions.”

Senior Mimi Brown, vice president of the Stage Troupe, said the committee hopes to integrate the various theater groups into each other’s shows and rehearsal environments.

The committee consists of two members from each BU theater club. Members include a representative from each club’s E-board and an individual membership representative, said senior Kathryn Banish, secretary of the Shakespeare Society.

“If we have top people from other groups coming in to check on each other, that will create a more inclusive atmosphere,” Brown said.

Creating a central system between all theater groups is an important aspect so that productive conversations can take place, Banish said. This method allows information to be exchanged across groups.

Before the new SARP committee, each theater group had an anonymous form through which members could submit complaints. But despite anonymity, those who read the complaints “very likely knew who said it,” El-Ouazzane said.

The idea for a SARP committee was proposed at a theater network meeting at the beginning of the semester called the BUT Summit, where members discussed their wishes for the theater groups’ future.

To form the committee, members plan to conduct training with both BU SARP and Club One Love to establish a system that will make theater students feel more confident.

One Love aims to encourage conversations about “healthy and unhealthy relationship behaviors,” she says Web description on Terrier Central.

BU SARP is working with various clubs to create new organizational norms and expectations as a preventive measure to ensure students feel safe.

“In my opinion, the more people who devote themselves to this issue, the better. I know our department cannot serve everyone, and we have a campus of more than 30,000 students,” said Ashley Slay, associate director of interpersonal violence prevention at SARP.

According to senior Ava Ascher, president of BU On Broadway, the process of reporting to SARP can feel stressful despite the resources provided by the office.

“People go there when something has already happened,” said Ascher. “It’s more authoritative.”

Brown said she wanted the committee to foster a space that could be brought to the broader external community.

“As you move into adulthood, learning to advocate for yourself is very important,” Brown said. “This is something I want to teach and facilitate.”