The School of the Americas Watch student organization held a dinner last Friday to raise awareness on the controversial School of the Americas.

Rev. and USF president Stephen Privett, S.J sat at the back of the room, his chin rested upon his left thumb as he concentrated on the forum. Most students were mesmerized by the guest speakers and the almost overwhelming information presented. There were a few students whose eyes wandered, but after just seconds their attention was jerked back to the guest speakers by powerful words such as “violence against women,” “violence against children” and “genital mutilation.”

The Rape Is Not an Isolated Incident forum decided to create a space for the USF community to come together in an open dialogue and talk about the issue of sexual violence on campus. The intention of the forum was to allow concerned citizens to speak on whatever they wanted to and in whatever format. One of the main topics of discussion was concerning the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program at USF which has received a lot of criticism.