The MFJS Reporter — Winter 2020 M-W

Can we DU better?

An anonymous Instagram account @wecandubetter was created Jan. 12, 2020  and showcased 50 stories about gender-based violence on the University of Denver’s campus. The account’s biography reads “stop gender violence at DU… share your story”; with a link below where survivors can share their story of assault and violence on the University of Denver’s campus.

Since its start, the Instagram account has not only caught the attention of DU students but The Denver Post as well. The account over the last month has gained 2,000 followers and has caught the attention of not only students but the university’s administration as well as the Denver Post.

University of Denver student Ally Latham commented on the account:

“It seems like the account is glorifying sexual assault. I feel this form of social broadcasting is all about the shock factor. I don’t think people really care about the victims’ experiences. I just don’t feel this is the right way to go about [solving] a problem,” said Latham.

Lis Govern another DU student had a similar critique about the Instagram page.

“I think that the @wecandubetter Instagram page has a lot of issues. The account is apparently run by students and they don’t have like a confidentiality agreement with the school, which is a huge problem. I think that the school needs to get involved with this page. If it’s still going to be up, I think that it should be run by someone that’s a qualified professional,” said Govern.

The account was created in an effort to get the attention of the University of Denver administration for more available support for survivors of sexual assault at the university. Following the social media movement, the anonymous group sent an email of demands to the university asking for campus safety officers to be trained in trauma response, asking for more female officers of color as well as the removal of those guilty of gender-based offenses from the university. Other requests were for the blue light system to be fixed and for more lighting on campus.

“I know that the Instagram account has stirred up a lot of talk on the DU campus and has caused drama amongst the students and faculty. I think that it’s a great way to get a conversation about assault started and it’s amazing for survivors. Gender-based violence is a prevalent issue at college campuses around the world but here at DU, it seems to be a bigger and growing issue. There needs to be a serious change in the way that our school and society handle sexual assault; far too common I hear more and more of people becoming victims of assault.” stated DU senior Blake Moncur

The group organized a silent protest on Carnegie Green outside of the library on January 28, 2020, to raise awareness of gender-based violence on campus. The protest attracted students and faculty as well as local news outlets covering the event. The University of Denver has responded to the list of demands from the group but no action has been taken as of now. It’s unsure what the university will do next but they will have to respond if these concerns on campus persist.