Take Back the Night. Each year, this national week of activism dedicated to raising awareness about sexual violence inevitable evokes the same old cheap shots. Cynics, low grade comedians and devil's advocates are all bound to snidely inquirer: Who owns the night in the first place?

Yesterday evening, the annual Take Back the Night (TBTN) rally which culminates the week's events provided an opportunity for survivors of violent sexual attacks to speak out and reclaim their sense of safety and comfort from the personified, albeit symbolic, "owner" of the night. This amorphous Mr. Danger, he who lurks in the shadows between blue light phones, also keeps my grandmother up at nights. He, (sorry guys, but this is definitely not a gender-neutral character) could be disguised as the charming preppy boy at the party who innocently offers you a sweet-tasting drink. While some critics contest the number, at least one survey has shown that one-fourth of college women are victims of date rape.

The multi-faceted violence that participants at last night's event sought to resist does not always prevail upon women. The candlelight vigil was intended to liberate the long-silenced victims of sexual abuse and violence. In addition, participants--both men and women--were encouraged to take an aggressive stance against the violence that has pervaded our society. Littleton, Colo. Enough said.

But, traditionally--and this week's full schedule of activities, films, dinner-discussions, speakers and rallies prove to be no exception--Harvard's TBTN week has evolved to serve as a crucial consciousness-raiser on campus. Female students are empowered to "take back" the symbolic night from an internal sense of danger.

The most obvious danger is a woman's own passivity toward her situation. Silent consent. In this post-feminist age, the politics of elaborating and emphasizing differences are unfashionable. Most women at Harvard would hesitate to label themselves feminists, a term which connotes bra-burning radicals and militant man-haters. And of course, feminists never wear lipstick or shave their legs.

But we have not succeeded in securing complete gender equality, a fact that most of us "emancipated" women usually do not speak of.

The two cases of sexual assault that appeared before the Administrative Board and the full Faculty this past year along with the activism of the Coalition Against Sexual Violence have catalyzed discussion and debate about rape, violence and relationships in general. TBTN week continues the comeback of heightened awareness. Small-group discussions have tackled issues such as on-line privacy for women (redefining stalking laws in the Internet age), international women's rights abuses, and local resources for battered women.

"This is a week where we have a voice," said TBTN organizer Jennifer L. Fines '99. "Issues about women's violence, defined very broadly, come to the fore."

In addition to finding our voices, TBTN has aggressively encouraged women to reclaim our bodies. Tuesday's "eat-in" provided an opportunity for women and men to indulge guiltlessly in pizza, ice cream and soda (diet not allowed). This event was a direct attack on '90s pop culture figures such as Ally McBeal--the feminist icon of our times, according to People and Time magazines--and Kate Moss. These women's ridiculously unattainable bodies often motivate an extra 10 minutes on the treadmill and create the will power to continuously decline dessert.