Daily Hampshire Gazette
12.4.15 | Stephanie McFeeters

AMHERST — Lampposts around the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus bore photos of men and women with their mouths taped shut, captioned with facts related to sexual assault. In front of the Student Union, a voice bellowed through a bullhorn: “When survivors’ rights are under attack, what do we do? Speak up, fight back!�?

Under a gray sky Friday afternoon, Priya Ghosh, 23, a fourth-year student at UMass and president of the Coalition to End Rape Culture, led a group of more than 50 people in a series of chants, then outlined ways she said the university is failing victims of sexual violence. Behind her, a mattress with floral sheets displayed a message in red tape: “WE DEMAND A SURVIVOR’S BILL OF RIGHTS NOW.�?

Students are asking that the university adopt the document, written by survivors for survivors, and post it around campus. The bill, modeled after a policy the State University of New York system adopted in 2014, outlines ways students would like to see administrators deal with cases of sexual assault and better protect victims.

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