Sometimes it was coincidental, sometimes it was personal. Mostly it was both.

For Ben Cote (COL ’05) it was the shock of the assault of his girlfriend at Georgetown. Elizabeth Trautman (SFS ’05), on the other hand, stumbled upon Take Back the Night as a freshman wandering through the Student Activities Commission Fair and became involved, spurred by the recollection of an intimate friend from high school recounting the story of her own rape.

Now, they crusade together against relationship violence.

Their stories are not unique. Cote and Trautman are among a growing cadre of members of the Georgetown community who are speaking out against gender violence.

This evening they will culminate a week of sexual violence awareness programs on campus with a rally and vigil in Red Square to mark the conclusion of Take Back the Night Week. It will be followed by a “speakout” where victims and sympathizers can relate their own personal stories.

Trautman, co-chair of TBTN, said that the rally is significant because people beyond just the victims are affected by gender violence.

“It’s important because every single one of us has been affected, either as primary survivors, or as friends, family and colleagues of survivors,” she said. “This violence has a huge impact on our lives – it affects our relationships, it affects our ability to use resources, it affects our ability to simply walk around campus.”

The rally will include personal stories, reflections and performances, which Trautman sees as integral.

“It’s important to include performance groups as a positive force – using our bodies and voices to create something beautiful,” she said.

Two students will also share their personal experiences at the rally. “It is very powerful to hear one of your peers talk about how their life has been affected,” she said.

Since first encountering Take Back the Night at SAC Fair three years ago, Trautman has advocated sexual violence awareness on campus, and the movement is growing. The list of sponsoring groups has expanded to include New Student Orientation, RU Ready, The Corp, the Mask & Bauble Society and Georgetown University Men Advocating Responsible Relationships, among others. Last year Todd Olson, vice president for student affairs, joined in on the march.

GUMARR was born from a discussion last year about male roles and attitudes toward sexual violence. It now aims to instruct its members and others on how to avoid relationship violence and help support survivors.

“This is an issue that I’ve seen touch a lot of people’s lives – men and women both,” Pravin Rajan (SFS ’07), a member of GUMARR, said.

Yet the reception of this group of males taking a lead in what has been a traditionally female-dominated topic of discussion has been mixed. Some people eagerly recognize and discuss it. Others are less willing.

“I think many students understand the importance of the issue,” Cote, who founded GUMARR, said. “But while the issues are important, they are complex, and in some cases taboo. any men seem hesitant about them for a number of reasons and hence they don’t get involved.”

On her end, Trautman is pleased with the reception that Take Back the Night has received.

“I hope that people are really listening and thinking about the issue,” she said. “My sense is that they are.”

Cote remembered 400 students signing a petition last year, committing themselves to preventing sexual violence. “Getting students thinking about and discussing these issues is the first step,” he said. Cote is a member of THE HOYA’S board of directors.

Both see attitudes slowly changing but admit that it will take time. In her three years here, Trautman has gone from the extreme of seeing fellow students rip down posters about relationship violence to crowds of nearly 200 students marching for awareness.

“I think that culture is changing slowly,” she said.