Introduction
Hi, my name is Mia Cai Cariello (she/her) and I conducted a comparative analysis of two interviews to inform future anti-rape strategies. The research displayed in this exhibit was completed when I was a 2020-2021 Undergraduate Society Fellow with the Global Arts + Humanities Discovery Theme (GAHDT) at The Ohio State University and was first published on GAHDT's website. The theme for the 2020-2021 Undergraduate Society of Fellows was "Human Rights Past + Futures."
Introduction
Anti-rape activism has been a consistent presence here at The Ohio State University since at least the 1970s. The university has had its fair share of sexual violence instances, including the gang rape of a lesbian student on the Oval in the 1970s; a gang rape committed by athletes (in an event referred to as Steebgate) in the 1980s; continuous abuse by former Ohio State physician Dr. Strauss through the 1980s and ’90s; and most recently, an incident of two Ohio State football players being charged with allegedly raping and kidnapping a female student in 2020.
While anti-rape activism has been the source for several great improvements to campus — such as the lights and emergency call boxes on the Oval and partnership with SARNCO’s trauma-informed advocates — there is still a lot of work to do. Through analyzing and contextualizing the experiences of two alumnae, Ella Lewie and Molly Pierano, with the data collected for the Reclaiming Our Histories Project, I have identified key themes and obstacles to anti-rape activism at Ohio State and anti-rape activism beyond the university setting.