Towards Building A Feminist Campus #INeverAskForIt

What is your current campus climate ? Is it feminist or patriarchal ? And, how do we determine that ? The I Never Ask For It mission is an intervention to shift your current campus climate from patriarchal to feminist. To know more , join the community building research and action plans below. Be a Campus Action Shero, Action Hero , Action Theyro.

Have you ever felt unsafe, threatened, discomfort or violated on campus ?
Do you have a memory without a name to it ? Or a memory with a name that you want to bring to this project. Connect with us to end sexual harassment, violence, moral policing and victim blame on campuses in India and beyond. Join the movement to build feminist futures; where campuses are safe, inclusive , welcoming.

What kind of behaviours on campus
make you feel uncomfortable or threatened ? What forms does it take ?

Unwelcome behaviour check list below. Name it. Identify it. Address it.
Reach out to Blank Noise to speak about your experiences on your campus.
The list below is a work in progress . last updated 5/3/2021.

• Being stared at by by another student , admin, faculty , stranger or any person on campus.

• Being touched without consent by another student , admin, faculty , stranger or any person on campus.

• Being stalked online or on campus by another student , admin, faculty , stranger or any person on campus.

• Being verbally, physically, sexually or emotionally assaulted by another student , admin, faculty , stranger or any person on campus.

• Being threatened with sexual assault by another student , admin, faculty , stranger or any person on campus.

• Being abused or humiliated by another student , admin, faculty , stranger or any person on campus, with the intention to shame, judge or morally police the student.

• Being shown or sent sexually explicit content, messages, or pornographic content
  by another student , admin, faculty , stranger or any person on campus.

• Promise of preferential treatment or grades in return for sexual favours by faculty on campus.

• When the no is met with consequences: the threat of detrimental treatment in case of not complying with demands, as made by another student , admin, faculty , stranger or any person on campus.

• Having your photographs taken without your knowledge or consent , by another student , admin, faculty , stranger or any person on campus.

• Have your photographs taken without your knowledge or consent and threatened with implication, by another student , admin, faculty , stranger or any person on campus.

• Having your photographs circulated without your consent, by another student or student who is an intimate partner , or college admin, faculty , stranger or any person on campus. The photographs may or may not be sexually explicit but were privately shared. The photographs may never have been shared but the device bearing the photographs/ video was hacked into.

• Being flashed at by another student , admin, faculty , stranger or any person on campus.

• Being masturbated at by another student , admin, faculty , stranger or any person on campus.

• Gender Discriminatory Hostel Rules - A noticeable difference in the college hostel
  timings between the men’s and women’s hostel.

• Discriminatory Dress Codes based on the gender of the student.

• Discriminatory Dress Codes based on the religion of the student.

• Financial Exploitation - Students paying fines for petty violations, and not receiving financial receipts towards the same.

• Absence of Queer consciousness on campus.

• Feeling judged, isolated, or shamed for being Queer , Non Binary , Trans or any person in the LGBTQI spectrum.

• Being outed on campus for being Queer, Non Binary , Trans or any person in the LGBTQI spectrum.

• Being outed on campus for beingQueer, Non Binary , Trans or any person in the LGBTQI spectrum.and being sexually harassed, humiliated for the same.

• Absence of anti caste consciousness on campus.

• Feeling judged, isolated, or shamed for being Dalit, Bahujan, Adivasi.

• Having to hide your caste identity due to the fear of being judged and blame.

• Being outed on campus for not being of a privilege caste.

• Being outed on campus for not being of a privilege caste and
  being sexually harassed, humiliated for the same.

• Absence of religious inclusion on campus.

• Feeling judged, isolated, or shamed for being a religious minority

• Having to hide your religion on campus because you don’t feel safe to make it known.

• Being outed on campus for your religious identity.

• Being outed on campus , sexually harassed, humiliated for the same for your religious identity.

• Being shamed and judged for the way you dress, or act.

• Being Morally Policed on campus

  
  Do campuses account for safety and freedom of students just outside the boundary walls of the campus ? The Indian Law recognises the ‘extended campus’ as spaces that students access day to day, as part of their college life. Is the space of internships, fellowship, field work included in the legal understanding of the ‘extended campus’ ?
  
  Whose experiences define our understanding of safety and threat on campuses? What are their social identities? How do we work towards building an understanding by all bodies and identities.

What is moral policing on campus?

Listing a set of behaviours that constitute moral policing. Moral policing can be caused by another student , admin staff , faculty , stranger or any person on campus.
A students autonomy, agency, expression , freedom is controlled through multiple forms and tactics of moral policing. A person who morally polices, is abuse their power ; this power is afforded to them based on their place in the institution. Identities situated in gender, class, caste, age , academic discipline need to be considered in our collective understanding of who has the power to police whom.

This list has been created by members of the Blank Noise student community, ongoing conversations and events. (2021)

• Telling women students what to wear and not to wear on campus, therefore controlling women’s bodies through policing and shaming.

• Being scolded, judged and shamed for talking with young men on campus.

• Being shamed or judged to perform ‘good girl’ behaviours like being ‘soft spoken’.

• Being judged and shamed by the student hostel warden for dressing on your own terms ( or not).

• Being judged and shamed by the student hostel warden for your mobility and entry/ exit timings.

• Being named called and judged on campus.
  students at a university in lucknow reported by called ‘characterless’ by their faculty. This comment reveals Campus Climates.

• Being filmed and photographed to serve as evidence and tool for shaming and threatening.

Victim Blaming on Campus :

Victim blaming makes a campus unsafe. Victim blaming can be both direct and implied.
It dissuades survivors of violence from speaking their truth. Listed below are ways in which victim blaming reveals itself.

Shift the Campus Climate With Your
Action Shero/ Hero/ Theyro- ism.

The University Grants Commission of India (UGC India) is a statutory body set up by the Government of India in accordance to the UGC Act 1956[2] under Ministry of Education. The UGC bears the responsibility of coordination, determination and maintenance of standards of higher education. It provides recognition to universities in India, and disbursements of funds to such recognised universities and colleges. Safe, welcoming campuses, enable students to build equitable futures. Unsafe and discriminatory institutions disable student learning and their right to become their fullest potential.
UGC Guidelines list and identify behaviours constituting sexual harassment. To know more, read below.

According to the University Grants Commission (Prevention, prohibition and redressal of sexual harassment of women employees and students in higher educational institutions) Regulations, 2015, sexual harassment in campus is defined as:

An unwanted conduct with sexual undertones if it occurs or which is persistent and which demeans, humiliates or creates a hostile and intimidating environment or is calculated to induce submission by actual or threatened adverse consequences and includes any one or more or all of the following unwelcome acts or behaviour (whether directly or by implication), namely:-

(a) any unwelcome physical, verbal or non verbal conduct of sexual nature

(b) demand or request for sexual favours

(c) making sexually coloured remarks

(d) physical contact and advances

(e) showing pornography

Any one (or more than one or all) of the following circumstances, if it occurs or is present in relation or connected with any behaviour that has explicit or implicit sexual undertones-

(a) implied or explicit promise of preferential treatment as quid pro quo for sexual favours.

(b) implied or explicit threat of detrimental treatment in the conduct of work.

(c) implied or explicit threat about the present or future status of the person concerned.

(d) creating an intimidating offensive or hostile learning environment.

(e) humiliating treatment likely to affect the health, safety dignity or physical integrity of the person concerned.

Map

Campus Uprising:

Students across universities globally have led protests in response to victim blame , rape culture, and moral policing.

Are you a student on campus anywhere in India or the world? Do you experience or witness threat, violence, or sexual harassment on campus?
Join the movement to build safe campuses for all. A safe campus is one where all students receive the opportunity to dream and are enabled in becoming their fullest potential.

This webpage has the following forms :

1. ‘Action Shero Campus Network’ : This form asks you to report sexual harassment and mechanisms to address it on campus. This form is towards making a climate of everyday sexual harassment visible. It seeks to identify victim blaming behaviors on campus. The forms asks you to nominate fellow students, allies and faculty towards creating student solidarity and the ‘Action Shero Campus Network’

2. ‘Campus Uprisings’ : This form invites you in capacity of a reporter and researcher. Share a student protest in response to victim blame, patriarchy, rape culture, that you know of all across the world. Your contribution will be mapped to tell a collective story.

3. ‘Intern at Blank Noise’ : Blank Noise offers 3 month internships. During your time you can build new research and/or contribute to on going research on moral policing, patriarchy, sexual harassment and victim blame on campus.

4. Blank Noise works with college campuses and students to build the I Never Ask For It mission. Host Blank Noise through a campus talk, workshop and a student led I Never Ask For It garment installation. Contact here.

Resources :

In August 2015, an anonymous letter from students at Jamia Milia Islamia University was submitted to Vice Chancellor in response to the discriminatory hostel rules for women. This sparked the Pinjra Tod movement. The Delhi Commission For Women sent Jamia Milia Islamia a ‘show cause notice’ , asking them to Link .

Step In To Build A Safe And Inclusive Campus: Climate Reading and Campus Uprisings

Climate Reading is an ongoing research and community building project which attempts to identify, spotlight and connect student resistance and voices against patriarchy, victim blame and sexual assault across campuses, both in India and globally. This initiative is known as “Campus Uprisings.”

The methodology of the Campus Uprising project seeks to create community-led participatory research and reporting. You can join us in building this project by mapping and documenting protests in your campus. This process will create and affirm community. A community that thrives on co-learning, exchange and shared resources, ideas, inspiration forming an Action Shero Campus Network.  

Are you a student ?  Reach out to create safe campus environments. Programme titled  'Action Shero Campus Network', will take shape and form through student led voices.
If this is you. Please register below. 

Blank Noise envisions the I Never Ask For It project to be a united call to end any use or justification for sexual violence. To build a safe campus free from rape culture and patriarchal warnings / policing register via this form. Please fill this form by 28th Feb, 2019. 

View 'Action Shero Campus' form on mobile.

#INeverAskForIt Campus Talks

I Never Ask For It Campus Talks have been held at the following select places:

• Mount Carmel College, Bangalore, India (2019)

• Christ Deemed To Be University, Bangalore, India (2019)

• BMS Institute of Technology and Management College, Bangalore (2020)

• Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Bangalore, India (2013- 2020)

• Concordia University, Montreal, Canada (2017)

• McGill University, Montreal, Canada (2018)

• William and Mary College, Williamsburg, USA (2019)

• Dawson College, Montreal, Canada (2021)

• Blank Noise talks have also been held at various universities since 2003.

The Campus Uprisings research project is a growing Global archive, mapping student protests,in response to rape culture, patriarchy and victim blame, in university and campuses. 

Is there an uprising you know of and don’t see listed here? CONTRIBUTE TO CAMPUS UPRISINGS knowledge

Collaborate. Report. Build this map with what you know, just found out, and what you think should be there. Fill out this form to contribute to this map.
* You can also apply to join the contributors team by interning at Blank Noise.

I Never Ask For It + Campus

The I Never Ask For It mission is being built with student allies on campuses.
Pilot projects include. students at Srishti Institute Of Art Design and Technology and Grinnell College. I Never Ask For It talks include Concordia University, Mc Gill University.
To build I Never Ask For It on campus, register on the form below, and or email actionshero@blanknoise.org, subject titled ‘I Never Ask For It Campus’.

CAMPUS + I + YOU Student Round table

13 Action Shero Hero Theyro students across 8 campuses in Bangalore led the Campus + I + You session.

The round table also included representatives of student and youth organisations, Samvada, Student Christian Movement of India and Dream A Dream. The Student Round Table concluded with a Walk Towards Healing with citizens, Action Heroes, Sheroes and Theyroes on MG road, Bangalore. Action Shero, Hero, Theyro students that built Campus + I + You Student Round Table are Abhishek G Desai, Chinnappa Das, Dakerlin Mukhim, Gagana Jadhav, Jawahar, Kritika Sharma, Manjulie Vaiphei, Nischitha G V, Pavithra E, Prakash, Pratham Ajila, Pratik Chakraborty, Rachana, Shwetha, Sowmya R Kumar.

Action Sheroes and Heroes that lead Walk Towards Healing with the students and citizens of Bangalore are Gowtham Sampath Kumar, Kerry Kat, Rubin Sagar and Syeda Arfa.

Credits:

Event Host: WeWork Galaxy, Bangalore

Campus + I + You Team includes: Action Shero Gagana Jadhav, Action Shero Srishti Srivastav, Action Shero Zoya Raj Singh, Action Hero Gowtham, Action Hero Rubin Sagar Eeshita Kapadiya, Pavithra E, Jasmeen Patheja

Thank you Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology and Bangalore City Police.

#INeverAskForIt & Your Campus
Action Hero/ Shero/ Theyro Campus

CALL TO ACTION : JOIN #INEVERASKFORIT