Students marched across campus chanting “We are Jane Doe” and “students say no,” among other chants during a protest on Wednesday against “rape culture” on campus.
The march started at the James & Gail Ellis School of Business, stopped at Frontier Restaurant, and concluded at the Student Union Building, where a rally took place, during which UNM students, staff, faculty and community members shared stories and informed participants of campus resources.
The protest was held in response to the recent civil lawsuit against Cornell University that was filed by a former Cornell student identifying herself as “Jane Doe,” after she was allegedly raped by seven fraternity brothers at the Chi Phi fraternity house at Cornell in 2024.
UNM junior and ASUNM Senator Jonah Bearden, who organized the protest and spoke during the rally, told the Daily Lobo that he hopes to see a stronger policy “tool belt” that equips campus resources to handle situations like the Cornell case.
Áine McCarthy, director of UNM Women’s Resource Center, spoke at the rally, informing rally participants of confidential reporting at UNM.
“Mandated reporting through Title IX does not keep people anonymous; if you tell your professors or any other staff or faculty, they have an obligation to report your name,” McCarthy said. “We are here for you, we see your rage, we want to protect you and for you not to burn out in this moment.”
UNM student Ever Salaiz Acuña shared his story to attendees, stating that he had been assaulted twice while attending UNM, and that he encountered the person who assaulted him after the UNM Police Department had been contacted about the incident.
“What does safety and accountability actually look like at this university,” Salaiz Acuña said during his testimony. “What is Title IX supposed to mean if students can go through these processes and still walk across campus wondering whether the person who harmed them could be right there?”
Organizers also protested the hiring of a UNM football staff member due to multiple alleged reports of sexual misconduct, according to the protest flyer that was shared on Instagram.
“An allegation is not automatically a finding of guilt, but due process should never become an excuse to silence or dismiss people who come forward, “ Salaiz Acuña said of the Lobo football employee. “Student safety has to come before popularity, connection, status or reputation. This problem is bigger than one person and bigger than one university.”
UNM Director of University Communication Steve Carr wrote in a statement to the Daily Lobo that UNM will “not comment on any allegations that may have been made at a protest.”
“As always, the University will continue to support its community by providing clear pathways for reporting, access to advocacy and support, and a commitment to compassion and accountability,” the statement reads.
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The Daily Lobo reached out to the UNM football employee multiple times for comment and did not hear back.
The Daily Lobo is not naming the staff member because he has not been formally charged with any crimes, but reached out to UNM Football for comment and was directed to UCAM.
During the march, students briefly rallied outside Frontier Restaurant, chanting “boycott Frontier” due to claims of the restaurant providing discounted meals to law enforcement, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
A manager at Frontier told the Daily Lobo on Oct. 11 that they do not give discounts to anyone, including military, law enforcement or ICE agents.
Bearden said he is a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity at UNM, where he said he is trying to “shake the institution from the inside,” and the only people he has issues with are new members.
“We’ve started our education process and we’ve started to change the way that we talk. It used to be, ‘oh, look at this girl, bro, like, she’s so ugly. Or ‘she’s so hot.’ It’s ‘no more.’ We say, no, that’s not funny. Like, shut the f— up,” Bearden said. “Just nipping it in the bud there stops it from perpetuating into people who have assaulted, people who have had allegations.”
Bearden — who was formerly vice president of Pi Kappa Alpha — said he and other current members don’t allow new members to join if they think the education is still not going to change someone, and that he has had to oust members and connect survivors to resource centers to file reports.
“If somebody’s having an argument, like, with their girlfriend, we’re keeping eyes on them and making sure that it is nothing more than just a conversation,” Bearden said. “Trying to educate people on what a healthy relationship looks like and what healthy communication looks like, that nips it in the bud, and it stops people from actually becoming aggressors and actually becoming rapists.”
Bearden said he was overwhelmed with emotion during the protest, during which he said he cried “three different times.”
UNM freshman Ian Santiesteban spoke during the rally and told the Daily Lobo that he showed up to the protest because he felt “disgusted” by the Cornell incident, and his mother, girlfriend and himself have experienced sexual assault.
“Seven people in the whole situation and on top of that 50 other people in the group chat who knew, which really makes 57 rapists because no one said anything,” Santiesteban said.
UNM sophomore Eddie Fratello said he came to the protest because he believes it is “important to address the problem of rape culture on campus because college campuses is what breeds the leaders of tomorrow.”
“It is important to start as early as possible to show that stuff like rape, sexual assault, all of this is not okay, and that hopefully, if change like this happens on college campuses, it can start to affect and change the problems in government and in systems of power,” Fratello said.
UNM freshman Shanti Ramirez said he joined the protest in “solidarity,” after getting food at the SUB.
“There is, in fact, this hierarchy that is built to defend rapists and unempower the people who try to report rape to proper authorities,” Ramirez said. “I feel solidarity with everyone else here, but at the same time, I’m still deeply troubled that this hierarchy still exists.”
Ramirez said he feels the “Cornell Seven” case is “just the tip of the iceberg.”
“The Cornell Seven is just the thing that leaked out from lots of repression from censorship from the bastards at Cornell themselves. We have to start thinking about what’s under the surface. There is more to it. We should not stop at the Cornell Seven,” Ramirez said.
UNM senior Kelly Brenholdt said she was glad to see people “using their voices” at the protest.
“I think that’s a huge part of why we have this rape culture. We are not empowered to use our voices; we are told to stay silent when horrible things are happening to us, and people that we care about (and) people we don’t know that we still should have love and empathy for,” Brenholdt said.
Hallie McCormick, Domestic Violence Program Specialist for WRC, observed the rally and told the Daily Lobo that the WRC was “thrilled to see students taking charge.”
McCormick added that if students want to discuss options after experiencing a Title IX violation, they are encouraged to seek out confidential advocates from WRC, Arcoíris Center — formerly the LGBTQ Resource Center — and Lobo Respect.
Leila Chapa is the photo editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at socialmedia@dailylobo.com or on X @lchapa06
Paloma Chapa is the news editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on X @paloma_chapa88
Leila Chapa is the photo editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at socialmedia@dailylobo.com or on X @lchapa06
Paloma Chapa is the news and multimedia editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at multimedia@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @paloma_chapa88
