CNU students gathered in the Diamonstein Concert Hall on Wednesday Nov. 2 for the annual Shadow Event, hosted by Where Is The Line, CNU’s sexual assault awareness organization. This event provides the opportunity for students who have experienced sexual violence to anonymously tell their story in a safe, protected environment. 

Shadow Event is meant to be both educational for students and a healing experience for survivors. Faith Tanous, a senior and president of Where Is The Line, said of the event, “Not every assault is rape, not everyone has been attacked by a stranger, and not every assailant is male. There are so many different points of view that often aren’t shared because the survivor feels they cannot share their story. Through Shadow Event, we are able to give survivors the space to share their truth out loud.”

Survivors sit behind a screen, silhouetted by colored lights, and their voices are modified so as not to reveal their identity. Audience members are given colored sheets of paper that correspond to each participating survivor on which they can write kind messages of encouragement and support for the speakers. 

“I am unbelievably proud of our speakers. Their bravery and willpower are astonishing. Our club is so grateful to them for speaking their truth and sharing their stories. We believe you.

Our club is also so thankful for our amazingly talented performers, they worked so hard to make this event that much more powerful and raw,” said the social media chair of Where Is The Line, senior Alyssa Smith.

The event included a special performance by CNU’s all female A Capella Group, The Newport Pearls. A group of CNU students also performed a dance entitled, “Catch Me” in honor of the survivors. 

Why is Shadow Event so important for the CNU community? Tanous points to the 39 cases of sexual violence against CNU students documented in the 2021 security report. This number only 

reflects officially reported cases, not including the more than 80% of cases that go unreported, says Tanous. 

When asked what she hopes students take away from the event, Tanous said, “I hope that the participants from Shadow Event left feeling motivated to make change on campus. Where Is The Line has already worked with Title IX and has begun working towards making changes around campus. From tabling to advocating for timely warning notification changes, every action helps.”

She continued, “The more we talk about what sexual violence entails, the more likely we are to become active bystanders that intervene to keep potential victims from becoming survivors. I hope they carry the stories of these survivors with them and that survivors know they are supported and believed.”

Where Is The Line meets on Monday nights in McMurran 162 at 9:00p.m. For more resources or to complete an interest form, visit the linktree on their Instagram: @whereistheline_. Email [email protected] for support or to speak with the E-Board about your experience. In addition, they can also connect survivors with resources from the Center for Sexual Assault Survivors and Fear2Freedom.