Wright State University student Matthew Conaway has taken on the men of Wright State\u2019s campus, challenging them to take a closer look at their behavior towards women.<\/p>\n
Conaway is the founder of Wright State\u2019s chapter of Men of Strength (MOST), a youth program sponsored by the Men Can Stop Rape organization. MOST is the\u00a0country\u2019s premier violence prevention program for mobilizing young men to prevent sexual and dating violence.<\/p>\n
\u201cComing from the little bubble of high school into the college world,\u201d says Conaway, \u201cI realized there was a lot of stuff that was going on that was really terrible, and I noticed a lot of men didn\u2019t speak up about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
He says that some of the close friends he made at Wright State were women who were survivors of sexual assault. His friends\u2019 experiences, as well as a course on African Politics, taught by December Green, Ph.D., opened his eyes to the prevalence of violence against women.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt gave me a righteous anger,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
So he set out to solve the problem.<\/p>\n
Together with a close friend, Conaway lobbied student organizations to raise money to bring Keith Edwards, Ph.D., to Wright State\u2019s campus. Edwards is a national speaker and trainer on diversity, social justice and college men\u2019s issues.<\/p>\n
Edwards\u2019 presentation was titled \u201cShe Fears You.\u201d He explained to the audience that sometimes, merely being a man holds the power to make many women afraid, and that men especially should speak out against violence against women.<\/p>\n
At the end of Edwards\u2019 presentation, Conaway stepped onstage to announce that he would be starting a MOST club on campus. He started out with seven or eight committed members, and went from there.<\/p>\n
Conaway says he started the club because he wanted a place for men to talk with other men about women. He sometimes felt uncomfortable in women\u2019s studies classes because many classes are supposed to be a space where women can be open and comfortable, and when a man comes into class it creates a different dynamic.<\/p>\n
Conaway did some research and found that there were many college administrators and educators who had discovered a vital secret in social justice education: \u201cmore men listen to a man.\u201d<\/p>\n
Conaway says this is an unfortunate truth, but admits that it works. \u201cMen can use their privilege of being a man\u2013and I do think being a man is a privilege\u2013in a good way, to be a role model and an educator to other men.\u201d<\/p>\n
So far, Conaway\u2019s MOST club has effected positive change on campus. Though he recently lost many of his key members to graduation, Conaway says that MOST has become more of a loose coalition than a club, with members and affiliates in many different student organizations promoting the agenda of sexual assault prevention.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a different approach than I initially started with,\u201d admits Conaway, \u201cbut it works.\u201d<\/p>\n
MOST has teamed up with several feminist organizations on campus to sponsor events, such as a workshop with Women of Strength titled \u201cWhat Not to Say to Survivors.\u201d<\/p>\n
Conaway says he feels like the workshop helped men understand the mentality of sexual assault survivors and how to talk to them about their experiences.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen a lot of men get that light bulb effect, that ah-ha moment,\u201d says Conaway, \u201cthat\u2019s really when I can see a positive effect.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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