A group of OU activists is ready to take sexual assault by storm.

What began as a discussion on "How to Be a Feminist Activist" last night in Baker Center Corner Room led to the development of a list of demands to increase awareness of feminist issues and sexual assault.

Participants Julie White, political science professor, and Francine Childs, professor of African-American studies, began the discussion, led by Women's Affairs Commission member Anne Langendorfer, with personal experiences and beliefs about feminism.

White stressed the importance of courage in being a feminist, and working together to redefine courage.

"Courage takes different forms," she said. "We usually link courage with masculine values. We need to reshape ideas about courage."

White cited Rosa Parks, who refused to give up her seat to a white person during times of inequality, as an example.

"Rosa Parks had skills to make activism work for her," she said.

White said collective effort is needed to make courage have an impact.

Childs' experiences with activism were a little different than White's.

Growing up during a time when Civil Rights movements were in full swing, Childs related her experiences with activism by stressing the importance of being involved in fighting for personal beliefs.

In both high school and college, Childs took part in rallies that pushed for equality among blacks.

"Taking charge of your own life is important, but there is a group, collectively, that you are representing," she said.

This statement was a silent witness to the second part of the meeting, where participants formed a list of demands as way of informing the community about the action needed to make a safer campus.

The demands discussed centered heavily around educating the public, especially freshmen.

Mary Nally, a representative from the Coalition Educating About Sexual Endangerment, suggested making a sexual assault education program a mandatory class for freshmen. Having freshmen come earlier than other students so they could be educated in two-hour sessions about sexual assault is another possibility that might be tested out this fall.

Strong feelings of frustration were expressed in the midst of this discussion when the group pondered how to make these demands a reality. Many said that the money and the means might be a barrier to making these demands a reality.

"We need to figure out what we want, before we can figure out how to get it," freshman Amanda Hobson said.