By Omar Duwaji, News Correspondent

In response to the alleged gang rape of a 15-year-old girl outside a high school dance in Richmond, Calif., Oct. 24, about 70 Northeastern students gathered in Centennial Commons for a silent candlelight vigil and march Friday night. The march began at 6 p.m. proceeding from Centennial Commons through the West Village and continuing down Huntington Avenue to the Krentzman Quad.
Throughout the march, students held candles encircled by plastic cups to protect the flames against heavy winds. In addition to the silence, the candles were part of the statement against sexual violence the students were making. The event was organized by Northeastern University’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer, questioning and straight alliance (NuBiLaGA), the Feminist Student Organization (FSO), Students for Choice (SFC), and the Campus Center on Violence Against Women (CCVAW).
Andra Oshinsky, a member of FSO and NuBiLaGA, said the event came together in four days.
‘We received support from our advisors, many student groups, friends, and even the RSA [Resident Student Association],’ she said.
When the students reached Krentzman Quad, Katie Bryant, a senior sociology major and bystander trainer from CCVAW thanked them for braving the cold and wind and showing support for the awareness campaign.
‘Coming out tonight shows how much courage you have,’ she said.
Bryant spoke briefly on the ‘bystander effect,’ which she said occurred in the California case. The bystander effect is the phenomenon in which the greater the number of people present in an illegal, traumatic or otherwise difficult situation, the less likely people are to help a person in distress, she said.
‘The phenomenon happens all the time … bystanders can in fact have a negative effect on the situation,’ she said.
Bryant also mentioned the vast amount of resources available to all students on campus to combat sexual violence.
Dominique Chamely, treasurer of NuBiLaGA, said the Northeastern University Division of Public Safety (NUPD) offers a beneficial self defense course.
‘They give a great crash course, everyone should register,’ she said.
To conclude the event Maya Genovesi, co-president of the SFC and a member of CCVAW, said one in four college-age-women are victims of sexual violence, she said, and one in 33 men also suffer.
‘Sexual violence is a real problem that we must combat and spread awareness on,’ Genovesi said. ‘This effort doesn’t stop tonight. You guys are all positive bystanders, and tonight your message has been heard.’
The gathering dispersed, as had been requested from the start, so that the message would endure. A few organizers remained to drive home their points.
‘Tonight was a testament against violence, and I’ve been thoroughly moved,’ Chamely said.