The University of Idaho’s Planned Parenthood Generation Action student group is hosting a screening of “The Hunting Ground,” a film that aims to educate about sexual assault on college campuses. The film will be shown at 6 p.m. tonight in the Whitewater Room of the Idaho Commons.
The event will feature a panel for a Q&A session following the showing of the documentary. According to a press release from the student group, the panelists will include representatives from the UI Women’s Center, Alternatives to Violence of the Palouse and from the Office of Civil Rights and Investigations.
Generation Action Vice President, Mary Conniff, said that she hopes the group will be able to start a productive conversation about sexual assault on campus by showing the film. Generation Action aims to create a more supportive environment for survivors through those discussions, she said.
“It’s important for people to hear these stories and understand that so much of the problem of sexual assault on college campuses is swept under the rug,” Conniff said.
According to Generation Action President, Emily Carter, the screening of the film and the panel will be the first event that the group has hosted on campus. Carter said that she is most excited to hear from Corporal Casey Green from the Moscow Police Department during the panel section of the event. Carter said that he serves on a panel dealing with backlogged rape kits in Idaho.
“I am so excited to hear someone in law enforcement talk about that process,” Carter said. “It is so cool to hear someone speak that is actively doing something about the legal side of the issue.”
The group has also worked to help students gain more access to contraceptives by working with student housing to supply condoms to residence halls and Greek houses. According to the press release, “The Hunting Ground” screening is intended to engage a wider audience in order to educate and prevent sexual violence on campus as well as encourage greater support for sexual assault survivors.
Carter said Generation Action chose “The Hunting Ground” because it is a widely known film talked about by many people. Carter said she had friends who had seen the film, but weren’t able to grasp the meaning, and for that reason, she wants to help spark conversation around campus with the film.
“Generation Action will continue showing documentaries or films to spark conversation and social action,” Carter said. “It has been brought to my attention by Erin from the Office of Civil Rights and Investigations that there are some other documentaries that are incredibly important to campus conversations with students. We are hoping to maybe show some of those and try to help students start those important conversations.”
Elizabeth Marshall can be reached at [email protected]
Donald Wright
Nice write up! It gladdens the heart to know that panel will be set up to look into the much discussed Hunting ground video. A video that exposed the level of oppression that ladies undergo around the world just because they pursuit their dreams in colleges and universities.