At the conclusion of a semester marked by protests against the administration's handling of sexual assault cases, the leaders of this year's Take Back the Night (TBTN) week are launching a series of events to promote discussion of violence against women.

"TBTN is about raising awareness, and it's also about trying to promote action," said Meghana A. Bhatt '00, co-chair of TBTN. The week-long annual event is sponsored by the Radcliffe Union of Students (RUS).

The general theme of the week is solidarity. TBTN wants to "show support for survivors and to show that women are working together," said Alexis B. Karteron '01, a member of the Coalition Against Sexual Violence, a student group lobbying the administration for better resources for responding to and preventing sexual assault.

In February the coalition submitted a list of eight demands to the University, including the creation of a women's center and improved Sexual Assault Sexual Harassment (SASH) advising for survivors of sexual violence in the Houses.

Bhatt said that while TBTN is not making any specific requests of the administration, "we're definitely supporting the coalition's demands."

Organizers said last week's announcement that Radcliffe College will come under the auspices of Harvard University, creating the non-degree-granting Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, will not affect this year's TBTN. It is still unclear what will eventually happen to Radcliffe-sponsored groups like RUS.

"I would hope this isn't the last major TBTN," Karteron said. "It's kind of an interesting parallel that we're talking about violence against women at the same time [that uncertainty about the future surrounds] women's groups on campus."

Bhatt said she hopes the merger will encourage Harvard to take responsibility for its female students, by, for example, funding groups focused on women's issues."

"Harvard can't ignore these concerns," she said.

TBTN began last night with a dinner discussion about sexual assault resources and prevention both on campus and atneighboring hospitals led by Chief of Nursing atthe University Health Services (UHS) DeborahD'Avolio.

The week culminates with a rally at MemorialChurch on Thursday night at 7:30 p.m.

There will be a candlelight vigil and march toRadcliffe Yard, accompanied by performances fromsinging groups and presentations by facultymembers, including Assistant Professor of Englishand American Literature and Language AnnPellegrini.

"We'll get people to give testimonies of theirexperiences," Bhatt said. The aim is "to create acomfortable environment for people to talk andshare what has happened to them."

Tonight TBTN will sponsor a screening of themovie "Still Killing Us Softly" and discussion of the effects of advertising on women, led by Linda Schlossberg, instructor of women's studies, in the Lowell Junior Common Room.

There will be panels, discussions and filmshowings throughout the week about domesticviolence, prostitution, the female body, abortion,women in science and staying safe.

Tomorrow TBTN will stage an eat-in at theScience Center from 12 to 2 p.m. with pizza andToscannini's ice cream.

"We're protesting against the homogenized imageof the...perfect woman," Bhatt said.

Bhatt said last year the week's themes weremore general in scope, trying to encompass adiversity of women's issues.

"We've tried to be more focused this year onissues of violence" against women she said. "If wereduce or focus we can get a lot more attentionand a better reaction."

Organizers said they are hoping the increasedattention given to issues of rape and sexualassault in the past year will make students moreaware of TBTN.

"I do think it is more important this year, andit is important to tie it to the rapes that havehappened this past year," Bhatt said.

In September Joshua M. Elster, Class of 2000,pled guilty in Middlesex Superior Court to rapeand indecent assault and battery of anundergraduate woman. The same month, D. DrewDouglas, Class of 2000, admitted to indecentassault and battery of a female undergraduate.

In February, both of their victims spokepublicly for the first time, prompting discussionof the administration's methods of prevention ofsexual assault.

Members of TBTN are distributing a packet ofinformation about rape and sexual assault,including statistics, poems and a survey forundergraduates