Brian Price/AP A group of male students work on creating banners for men putting a stop to sexual assault last night on the third floor of Baker Center. The banners will be displayed around campus

When community members march through the streets this Thursday, cries for women's empowerment and preventing sexual assault will reflect years of letting the public know silence is not an option.

Take Back the Night, which is celebrated this week in the form of discussions, self-defense presentations, banner making, and name-burning ceremonies, has been taking the streets of college campuses for more than 20 years.

Started in California during the 1970s by college campuses, rape crisis centers and safe houses nationwide, Take Back the Night began as a way of protesting pornography, and later developed to include issues relating to women in general. Today the march even has spread to Canada.

While the issue of allowing men to march has been highly debated, when the march began, men and women marched together to protest sexual violence, according to the 1996 Athena yearbook.

But as times have changed, so has the issue of allowing men to march. The event is now entering its 20th year in Athens. During one of those years, a woman's attacker ran out of a bar to join the march, causing his victim to speak out against men marching, according to the 1996 Athena yearbook.

The Rev. Jan Griesinger of United Campus Ministries is one community member who has seen the march evolve throughout the years. Griesinger said before Student Senate took charge of the event seven years ago, the march was sponsored by a feminist organization called the Athens Women's Collective, which started having the march in Athens in 1979 in rsponse to member concerns about feminist issues and violence against women. Griesinger said when Take Back the Night began in Athens, the point of the march was not women's empowerment but violence against women. She said the issue of women's empowerment came about as a "side effect."

"It's not that women's empowerment did not happen, it just wasn't a purpose," she said.

Although she said she has not seen less violence against women since the march began, she said the consciousness among some men has increased, and women are aware that they are not isolated when it comes to sexual violence. Griesinger listed some of the organizations that grew out of Take Back the Night, such as Campus Escort Service and rape counseling at Hudson Health Center.

And until recently, the march itself had been comprised of only women. According to The Post archives, Student Senate took over Take Back the Night in 1990 and began allowing men to march halfway. While last year broke from the tradition, with men marching the whole way, this year's march will see men join in, once again, during the march's second half.

Women's Affairs Commissioner for Student Senate Eleni Zulia hopes the spirit people have during this week will continue for weeks to come.

"The march is the most important part of the week because it involves the most community members. It is a good public statement to make and I hope it doesn't end after the 14th," Zulia said.

To one student, the march's statement brings mixed emotions.

"I am sad that we have to do it but I'm glad that when it does happen, we can ban together in order to fight things like that," said sophomore Heather Moyer, who will be participating in the march for her second time.

Aside from the march, the week will include a women's art show, sexual health presentations, survivor speakouts and banner making, where both women and men are encouraged to attend, because "men and women are all a part of the rape culture," Zulia said.

An addition to this year's events is a list of demands made for heightened awareness among the community and OU students.

This list was composed in 1979 and 1980, and like this year, asks the community to increase the safety measures on campus, Zulia said.

"Ironically, a lot of the demands were the same as we are asking for now," Zulia said.

The week will culminate with the rally and the march, where in addition to speakers and a choir, there might be fire eating.

With some of these demands, like increased lighting, already met, and awareness brought to the community, Zulia said things are going in the right direction.

"This is definitely something we need to keep on top of," she said.