No Red Tape

[TW: sexual assault]

This is a SUPER important and powerful read. We are in solidarity with and support this brave survivor.

Tw: sexual violence

Photos from our last action of the 15-16 school year, when we presented Suzanne Goldberg's law school class with a letter about Goldberg's negligent response to campus sexual violence. Photo credits to James Xue.

As we regroup and plan for next year, we'd like to thank the members of the Barnard Columbia Solidarity Network and everyone else in the campus community who continues to support the work that we do fighting sexual and dating violence on campus. We wouldn't be able to do it without you.

Join the rally today in support of the Verizon workers demanding a fair contract!

We're honored to launch Stories of Surviving, a space for survivors to share writing, art, videos, etc. Everyone is welcome to submit, but we especially encourage survivors whose stories don’t match traditional narratives and who come from marginalized communities to share. We welcome people to share any experience they feel has affected their experience at Columbia/Barnard, whether it happened here or not.

Submissions will be posted both on our Stories of Surviving blog below and cross-posted in re:claim. To submit or get more information, check out the submissions page below or contact us!

After the Rally Against Tuition Hikes, you can head over to this action to support Barnard contingent faculty in their fight for benefits and fair wages!

Come out to this today at 4 to witness an unforgettable "marriage" between Barnard and union-busting law firm Jackson Lewis, as well as a protest and speak-out with student workers!

We, No Red Tape Columbia, are in solidarity with the Yale students who refuse to tolerate the continued disrespect of people of color in a place that calls itself their home. Their intergenerational pain is an injustice — it should not be continued for the sake of a history lesson. The students refusing to tolerate injustice are ridding Yale's campus of what John C. Calhoun represents. In the face of administrative failure, Calhoun College will now be ‪#‎FormerlyKnownAsCalhoun‬

"No Red Tape is committed to supporting the health and safety of survivors of sexual and domestic violence at Columbia University. We feel that it is equally important to support our group’s members, fellow activists, and their families in times of need. In the face of any oppression and injustice, activist communities must come together in order to build power through love, solidarity, and compassion."

https://www.gofundme.com/shzv75d3

http://columbiaspectator.com/…/gssc-approves-proposal-ban-s…

Mention in Dissent Magazine, with an important discussion of the need for inclusive and affirming activist spaces!

"This year, No Red Tape has returned as a force to reckon with; its members are now in solidarity and dialogue with a range of other campus activists, including Students for Justice in Palestine, Jewish Voice for Peace, Columbia Divest for Climate Justice, and Mobilized African Diaspora. Creating activist spaces in which inclusivity and collectivism are valued allows attention to individual needs and forces malleability in political demands...We owe much of this attention to individual needs to the historical development of safe spaces."
https://www.dissentmagazine.org/…/free-speech-campus-defens…

[TW] "We recognize that dating abuse and sexual violence can and do occur within every community, and activist communities are not an exception ... However, the public image of an activist movement should never be prioritized over the safety and integrity of its members. Strong movements cannot be built if they perpetuate the silencing of survivors and allow violence to continue behind closed doors."

Do you think survivors should be able to criticize Columbia's ineffective response to sexual violence without fearing facing disciplinary action themselves? Sign this petition to demand a new Rules Administrator who won't have a vested interest in targeting survivors and survivor advocates.

(You don't have to go to Columbia/Barnard to sign!)

Join us tomorrow night for a sleepover on Low steps in solidarity with the CDCJ sit-in! Free food + tons of fun!

Great article in the Gothamist about the ongoing Columbia Divest for Climate Justice sit-in!

Also, check out this frequently-updated compilation of support statements for the sit-in: https://reclaimmagazine.wordpress.com/…/statements-of-supp…/

Want to learn more about all the cool activism on campus? Join various activists TODAY for a tour of activism on campus! See you there!

As an organization dedicated to ending sexual and dating violence, No Red Tape supports CDCJ's demand for full fossil fuel divestment at Columbia. The same profit-driven motive that leads Columbia to deny survivors the direct services they need, has led to the university investing in damaging and extractive fossil fuel companies. As students devoted to fighting gender-based violence, we recognize that women of color and indigenous women across the globe are often most affected when their communities are devastated by climate change.

We stand in solidarity with CDCJ and with the brave students who continue to occupy Low Library despite threats, intimiation and harassment from the administration. We call on Columbia to divest from fossil fuels and stop funding injustice and violence throughout the world.

"We demand Goldberg immediately step down from her role as acting Title IX coordinator and appoint an interim coordinator who has no vested interest in discouraging or inhibiting students from exercising their Title IX rights."

Great piece on the action by Columbia Divest for Climate Justice!