MARCH 8, 2022
Content warning: This story contains language that pertains to sexual assault and drug use. Students’ names have been changed for anonymity.
As a freshman, junior Lacey put all of her energy into preparing for Vike-A-Thon on the afternoon of the event. She straightened her hair, put on the sparkly outfit that she had purchased specifically for the party and meticulously applied glitter on her upper cheekbones to add a radiant shine to her face. But the night wasn’t all about Instagram-worthy experiences.
At Vike-A-Thon, Lacey was sexually assaulted.
Vike-A-Thon is a rave-style fundraising event that has served as the pinnacle of Whitman SGA’s “Charity Month.” Tickets cost between $30 and $40, and from 9 p.m. until midnight, students pack together in the school’s darkened gymnasium as music blares and neon lights strobe.
Vike-A-Thon was once a “dance marathon” previously known as “bRAVE” during which students were locked in school for 12 hours on a weekend night. bRAVE started in 2012, but due to excessive underage drinking and drug use, the SGA re-branded the fundraiser in 2016 as Vike-A-Thon. The last time the SGA held Vike-A-Thon in February of 2020, sales raised $24,000, more than the funds from every other Charity Month fundraising event combined.
While organizers advertise the event as lighthearted and fun, the event’s appeal is rooted in a toxic atmosphere, one that’s ripe for sexual abuse — particularly involving exploitative power dynamics between upperclassmen and underclassmen. It’s been 10 years too long. Whitman’s SGA or school administrators need to cancel Vike-A-Thon...
https://theblackandwhite.net/71844/opinion/its-been-10-years-too-long-vike-a-thon-needs-to-go/
When my daughter witnessed a 'hookup' in the girls' bathroom, the school administration called an emergency meeting and accused her of imagining things. . .
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