The mattress you saw wandering around the CEU campus two weeks ago wasn't a cruel joke about the sleepless season of midterms; rather, that mattress was part of a day of action aimed at raising awareness about sexual and domestic violence. While a mattress might seem like an unlikely tool of protest, the concept was inspired by the performance piece “Carry that Weight” of Columbia University student, Emma Sulkowicz. A survivor of sexual assault, Emma committed to carrying a 23 kg mattress around campus as long as she was still attending the same university as her assaulter. Taking the mattress from the bedroom into the classroom was a symbolic way to convey how sexual and domestic violence often remains a private affair left outside of the public discourse.
“Carry that Weight” has quickly developed into a national movement and day of action. On October 29thstudents from more than 130 universities brought mattresses onto their campuses in support of Emma Sulkowicz. CEU student Andreea Ros took the initiative to organize events at CEU to show international support for “Carry that Weight”. For ten hours, Andreea and other students carried a mattress around campus, passing out flyers and explaining the protest to students and staff. While most reactions were positive, Andreea did encounter students who were confused and thought the protest was a joke. Andreea said, “I know people didn't have bad intentions, but it felt like they were laughing at the idea of supporting sexual and domestic violence survivors and that was quite stressful...this is something I hadn't anticipated although it's probably a reaction Emma has to deal with quite a lot.”
Because sexual assault isn't just happening at American colleges, “Carry that Weight” has increasing global relevance. From campuses in the UK to universities in Hungary, rape happens and often goes unreported and unaddressed. While a British survey found earlier this year that 37% of female and 12% of male students have experienced sexual assault at their universities, there seems to be a global trend towards disregarding rape cases which occur at universities. Just like heavy drinking, rape jokes, and casual sexism, it’s simply part and parcel of the student lifestyle. As a student union leader told a student who experienced rape last year at a Hungarian university, “don’t make a scene”.
This is exactly what “Carry that Weight” is about – raising awareness about sexual assault and the prevalence of rape culture at universities by purposefully making a scene.
More information on ‘Carry that Weight’: www.carryingtheweighttogether.com
Read CEU’s Policy on Harassment: http://documents.ceu.hu/documents/p-1402-1
Giavana Margo
Gender Studies, USA
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