When Sarah Richardson, CC '02, personally encountered the inefficiency of Columbia's handing of sexual misconduct complaints, she took it upon herself to both literally and figuratively cut through the red tape surrounding the issue. Her campaign, leading Students Active for Ending Rape, launched one of the most successful student movements to change University policy that Columbia has ever seen.
The story began after she filed a complaint of sexual misconduct in the spring of1999. Today, Richardson describes the original system as "not working strategically," where "both the defendent and accuser were unsatisfied with the process." This dissatisfaction compelled Richardson to found SAFER with fellow students Ashley Burczak, BC '00; Sonia Van Byne, BC '00; and Jeff Senter, CC '01.
Previous reformers' attempts to change Columbia's Sexual Misconduct Policy had been met with limited success. Richardson and the SAFER leadership decided that the policy warranted a new approach, one that relied on the student body as the driving force for change rather than the Columbia administration. SAFER began the red-tape campaign, where red tape was used on posters and clothing as a sign of of a bureaucratic administration's reluctance to address sexual misconduct issues. Burczak said the student reaction far exceeded their expectations.
The red-tape campaign led up to the University Senate meeting on Nov. 12, 2000, which Richardson describes as the "most exciting event of my activist and college career. ... Our presence there changed the form of the University debate." Richardson and the other activists had delivered to the Senate a petition with almost 2,000 signatures supporting the coalition proposal for changes to Columbia's Sexual Misconduct Policy. Burczak said that after the meeting, the administration became more responsive to their proposed reforms and eventually adopted major elements of the proposal in February 2000.
Richardson's role within SAFER was to help promote a consensus-based decision-making process by framing the key issues and facilitating discussion. Richardson said her experience on the high school debate team, where she practiced researching and understanding a range of viewpoints, helped her construct arguments with wide public appeal.
"Sarah would go off and write a 50 page report on every aspect of something. ... She can immediately see the problems involved and keep people from circling around the issue," Burczak said.
In addition to uniting the students, Richardson was also willing to use pressure tactics when she judged it was helpful in achieving overall strategic objectives. According to Richardson, holding protests can irritate people, and the tactic often fails to communicate a message to observers. She points to SAFER's use of protests as a textbook example of how pressure tactics can be used effectively. A coalition of five groups, including SAFER, built awareness through meetings and posters. When it came time to applying pressure on the administration at the Nov. 12 Senate meeting, the Sexual Misconduct issue had the grass-roots support that was necessary to lend the protest credibility.
Richardson organized 400 students wearing red tape over their mouths to support the delivery of the proposal, and had five men and five women ready to stage a sit-in if the University did not respond to their demands. "These were pressure tactics that worked. They were very, very, successful. I was at the vortex of this effort, and it will help fuel me on to further things," Richardson said.
While Richardson's motivation began with her feeling that she was mistreated by the University in the handling of her sexual misconduct complaint and increased as a result of her involvement with SAFER, she found that the process of her activism had a value independent of her need to effect change.
"It gave so much back to me, I was with gutsy, creative, idealistic people, it was an opportunity to work closely and see eye to eye with people," Richardson said.
Burczak, who worked with Richardson closely during this period, said that in the beginning, she Richardson was "a lot more timid, a lot less sure of herself. She developed a lot, she's really grown into herself."
Richardson ended her involvement with SAFER after founding a non-profit organization to educate people about sexual misconduct, and train activists for the cause. Regarding her decision to leave, she said "I've given everthing to it. ... I think it's time to move on to a new issue." After graduation, Richardson will return to her native Montana, working for Senator Max Baucus as an assistant campaign manager, in the hopes of being able to influence more social issues.
