It ends now pt. 2: Students gather to plan response to administration

At least 75 University of Richmond students and one alumna gathered Friday night in the Tyler Haynes Commons for a dialogue in response to Thursday night's "It Ends Now" event.

The students, many dressed in their blue "It ends now" t-shirts, discussed ways to send a message to the administration. Many students expressed feelings of distrust and dissatisfaction toward the university's Title IX process and its response to Cecilia Carreras, the student who earlier this week published an account of her sexual assault investigation on the Huffington Post contributor network.

"I had no idea so many people were going to turn out," said Michael Johnson, one of the event's organizers. "It seems like we're going to continue this, and that's what I'm really excited about."

The students decided to create a Facebook group and to plan a second meeting, both of which will contribute to creating a list of demands for the administration.

Among those in attendance was Carreras, who earlier Friday published another article to detail how and why to report sexual assaults. She spent time throughout the dialogue advocating for reporting and explaining why she thought the entire Title IX administration needed to be replaced in order for the student body's trust to be regained. 

"We need everybody out, and a whole new 'everybody,'" Carreras said. 

Jacob Roberson, a sophomore football player, also attended the discussion and encouraged the group not to lose trust in all student-athletes. By the time he left, he had promised those in attendance that he would stand in solidarity with them by wearing an "It ends now" t-shirt as he warmed up for tomorrow's football game at 6:00 p.m. in Robins Stadium.

"I appreciate this dialogue, not a monologue like y'all had yesterday," Roberson told the crowd, referencing Thursday night's event. The students plan to demonstrate their concerns at tomorrow's game as well, likely by wearing their blue t-shirts and standing together during the national anthem. 

Johnson acknowledged that Carreras and Roberson's attendance allowed for people to see different perspectives. 

"I think it was huge that [Carreras and Roberson] were vocal because I feel like they shed a lot of insight and changed a lot of people's perceptions."

More than 1,100 people have watched The Collegian's Periscope stream of the event on Twitter. 

Contact editor-in-chief Charlie Broaddus at charlie.broaddus@richmond.edu

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