For two decades, the Building Bridges Conference has fostered discussion and awareness of topics on social justice on the Gustavus campus.

The Co-Presidents for the 2014-15 conference, Kyle Maloney and Leah Soule, announced on Wednesday, Sep. 10 that the 20th annual Building Bridges Conference will address the culture of sexual violence.

The Building Bridges Conference is typically held in the spring, and involves a variety of speakers from beyond the campus as well as several additional activities and opportunities to foster discussion about the selected topic.

According to Soule, the co-presidents began to compile a list of potential topics of focus last May, and sought to select a topic which would be relatable, current, unique from recent conferences, and possess local implications.

“A strong focus, as is usually the case with Building Bridges conferences, is that we want to make a positive impact. So this conference isn’t just about letting everyone know that sexual violence exists, because everyone knows that sexual violence exists. We want to change that, we want to create action on the part of Gustavus students and the community surrounding it,” Maloney said.

Soule noted that the renewed national focus on Title IV and gender equality as well as the Not Alone Report which has recently been released by the White House make the topic particularly relevant. Soule noted the topic was also directly relevant to the Gustavus campus.

“One in five women is sexually assaulted in college. And 1 in 5 is a lot of people on our campus,” Soule said.

Staff Advisor of Building Bridges and Director of Multicultural Programs of the Diversity Center Pearl Leonard-Rock,   said that one of the challenges of this year’s conference is the possibility that the topic may be particularly difficulty for those in the community who have been affected by sexual violence in the past.

“This conference isn’t just about letting people know that sexual violence exists… We want to create action on the part of Gustavus students and the community surrounding it.”—Kyle Maloney

“The committee has already spoken with the support systems and the counseling center here on the campus, but I think it’ll be really important for people who want to engage in the topic the way that we need for Building Bridges to be successful, that people are able to take care of themselves, because a lot of people have been impacted,”  Leonard Rock said.

Maloney addressed the reach of  the topic beyond college campuses.

“There may be some stats that are specific to college campuses, but this is something that happens everywhere. It’s something that happens in schools in St. Peter, it’s something that happens in work places and grocery stores and in the streets of Minneapolis.” Maloney said.

“1 in 5 women in college will be a victim of sexual assault or attempted sexual assault. And 1 in 5 is a lot of people on our campus potentially.”—Leah Soule

The co-presidents revealed that the conference will specifically examine rape culture, concepts of masculinity, and sexual violence against men. The concept of inter-sectionality, or the multiple elements of identity such as race, citizen status, class, and gender will also contribute to the discussion.

Maloney also noted the significance of the anniversary and the historical impact of the conference.

“This is the 20th year of Building Bridges, so it’s a landmark year of a legacy now of Building Bridges identifying and confronting some of the largest social injustices of our time. And I think it has really made an impact, both through the work that is done here on campus and through alumni who go on to do work in their lives doing this kind of work throughout their careers,” Maloney said.

Leonard Rock encouraged students to get involved with this year’s conference, particularly students in their first year at Gustavus.

“I have really found that this is a great leadership opportunity for anyone who is new to the campus to see what is happening on campus, so I would really encourage first years to take a look,” Leonard Rock said.

-McKayla Murphy & Libby Larson