The undergraduate town hall meeting for the Alternate Review Process (ARP) on Wednesday was informative, ARP in The Daily over the past few days, in an effort to cover the issue and shed light on something so important to the student body. I can honestly say that the town hall discussion on Wednesday mimicked that goal to educate first and foremost; Robbie Zimbroff accurately introduced the talk as a sensitive issue where we all need to be respectful.

I’ve never seen Tresidder Oak West more reflective- in the past I’ve been to events there where people came for the food, for something other than genuine interest. But this event was different. Talking about sexual assault and the future of the process designed to address it, made the Tresidder room a reverent space for an hour and a half. Thank you to the ASSU and the Office of Community Standards (OCS) for hosting such an event, and for inviting student voices.

After the technical presentation about ARP was given, a series of questions followed from the crowd. Every question seemed very genuine, civil and driven towards understanding. In a meeting centered on sexual assault, I commend those who attended for maintaining such an atmosphere. Perhaps some were building their arsenal of understanding for a viewpoint that I will ultimately disagree with, but such is the nature of interpreting the facts individually. I appreciate that some people took the time to more fully understand the process before making snap judgments. That opportunity is still available of course. The website for the OCS has a description of the ARP and they are welcoming feedback in deciding the future of the process.

I was glad to be a part of the town hall on Wednesday, and hope that conversations concerned with sexual assault can always be this respectful, this grounded in the facts and doing what is best for everyone. Unfortunately I know that is not the case, especially for many casual conversations where the word “rape” is used as common slang. But the town hall meeting was certainly a flicker of hope, where people seemed genuinely focused on respect and understanding.