Sexual Assault

We felt the need to respond to Kjerstine Trooien’s article entitled “IMPACT may actually have negative impact” published Dec. 9 in The Dakota Student.  In doing so, we want to recognize that these issues are both complicated and very sensitive. The Women’s Center would never attempt to simplify this important topic by espousing a single philosophy. We would, however, like the opportunity to answer some important questions that were raised.

To clarify, one of the primary goals of IMPACT is to provide awareness about predatory strategies that are used to test, control and ultimately harm others. It is not in any way a program that suggests that one has to change who they are in order to conform to or to avoid being a victim of violence in any of its forms.  We provide a hands-on learning approach based on research and best practices to address how many of these strategies play out in our daily lives. IMPACT has never been and certainly isn’t a program designed to put survivors in a position of ending violence. Nothing could be further from the truth. Putting the responsibility of ending violence on the backs of those who may experience it will never be appropriate. We agree wholeheartedly. People take IMPACT for a variety of reasons, including simply wanting to learn some self-defense skills. And yes, we do teach them, but the class is far more than practicing to “SING” as Ms. Trooien put it.

A video clip will never do justice to what people learn about themselves in our classes. The saying used at the end of the video clip, “It is never the size of the woman in the fight … it is the size of the fight in the woman” is used to illustrate that everyone has a fighting spirit inside of them. Its intent is never to insinuate that a survivor may not be strong enough to survive a physical or emotional attack and therefore is at fault. If that is the impression that people can take away from the video clip, we appreciate learning that and will take another look at the message.

We agree with you completely that the answers to addressing and/or ending violence begins and ends with holding individuals responsible and accountable for being violent.  We assure you that work is being done through numerous programs, workshops and events presented by several individuals and groups both on and off our campus to do just that. So again, we appreciate the opportunity to clarify what IMPACT is all about so as not to confuse the two.

Kay Mendick & Paul Olson

Co-directors, IMPACT Personal Safety