02. Event: March 2017 Archives

Compiler: Yuji KATO
[The article below is the same as the article that appears in the nineteenth issue of the CGS Newsletter.]

What kind of support services should ICU provide to parents and caregivers? CGS organized a round-table discussion for students, faculty, and staff to share their ideas on this issue. Excerpts from their discussion are presented below.

Participants (in alphabetical order, without titles): Juliana BURITICÁ (ICU PhD student), Junko HIBIYA (ICU President), Natsumi IKOMA (CGS Director), Yuji KATO (CGS staff member), Miho MATSUZAKI (CGS research institute assistant), Kana TAKAMATSU (CGS steering committee member).

Support for Student Parents and Caregivers

Hibiya: In 2000, ICU changed its leave of absence fee, which was 1/3 of the tuition fee, to an enrolment fee of just 30,000 yen per term. One reason for this change was our concern for students who take a leave of absence for medical reasons. They tend to return too soon, causing their illness to flare up again, and are then forced to drop out altogether. We also considered study abroad cases that didn't fit into the exchange student category. I think we have managed to make it easier for students to continue their studies or research and take a leave of absence if they need to, whether it be for childcare, nursing care, or other reasons. With regard to childcare, the University is planning to build a childcare center on campus eventually. But how about students with caring responsibilities, such as those caring for elderly relatives or other dependents who have an illness or disability? What kind of support could we provide for them?

Matsuzaki: In addition to promoting understanding on the campus as a whole, we need to foster an environment where students feel more comfortable discussing these issues and asking for advice. Students with caring responsibilities tend to be overlooked, and they often don't talk about their problems because they find it too hard to explain. At first it might just mean missing a class or two, but as their dependent's illness progresses, the student caregiver's burden grows heavier until they are forced to give up attending class altogether. Even if caring responsibilities can be balanced with studies at university, it is harder to balance them with work. Students with caring responsibilities need to deal with tuition fees and juggle course schedules, and they need help thinking about their careers after graduation. Students who end up not talking to anyone about their caring responsibilities often don't get any careers guidance either. Even if ICU can't provide any direct assistance, it would be good if the University could at least refer such students to other support services off campus.

Hibiya: Yes, we should deal with the issue of careers guidance immediately. We must raise awareness and understanding within the University concerning the reality of students in these situations.

Ikoma: Even being able to talk to someone who understands can be helpful. But our campus doesn't even facilitate that kind of support yet. We have the same problem when it comes to pregnancy and childbirthstudents feel isolated because of the University's lack of understanding.

Yuji KATO
CGS staff member
[The article below is the same as the article that appears in the nineteenth issue of the CGS Newsletter.]

Violets (sumire in Japanese), in the language of flowers, mean sincerity and everyday happiness, and the color purple is used worldwide in campaigns to end violence against women. Drawing on this symbolism, the Sumire Project (since 2016, Sumire Network) was launched in 2015 with the aim of raising awareness on dating violence and other forms of relationship abuse. The project is a joint collaboration by CGS and undergraduate students of ICU. CGS staff member Yuji Kato, who managed the Sumire Project, provides an outline of its activities below. Next, the student who inspired the project, writing under the pseudonym "Penko," shares her personal experiences and thoughts.

In April 2005, a fourth-year ICU student came to CGS upon referral by a staff member. The student, who is known by the pseudonym "Penko," told us she wanted to do something to help others who had experienced dating violence like herself and to reduce the incidence of dating violence on campus. Penko and I, along with another student whom I shall call "Chun" here, started exploring potential strategies to make this happen.

Our first initiative was to create an informative bilingual pamphlet, titled "Is Dating Violence Really Someone Else's Problem?", which we distributed to all first- and second-year students. The pamphlet, which opens out to A3 size, is designed to arouse awareness on dating violence. One side is filled with facts and figures for young people as well as personal reflections by Penko and Chun. The other side provides a contact list of helpful resources on and off campus. Although I supervised the design and editing, and made sure that it would consider the fact that victims of dating violence are not necessarily all women, I left the research, analysis, and writing to Penko and Chun. We followed the example of the Living Together Campaign in Tokyo, which collects anonymous personal stories about HIV because people find it difficult to come out as HIV positive. I also made good use of my experience in helping to create an HIV brochure for school nurses, as part of a collaborative project last year by CGS, the non-profit organization "akta," and Tama Fuchu Health Center.

Our second initiative was to organize a lecture, "Do You Know About Dating Violence?: The Modalities of Student-Led Activities for Raising Awareness." The guest lecture, by Assistant Professor Chika Hyodo from The Hirayama Ikuo Volunteer Center at Waseda University, was followed by a presentation by her fourth-year student, Shuhei Yuyama. Shuhei's report on the results of his action research on male victims of dating violence led to an in-depth discussion of victim diversity and the potentials of student activism.

Finally, we organized an event called the Sumire Café, as Penko had expressed a strong desire to create a space for students to discuss these issues. The event, which was held at CGS, attracted 10 participants. We laid down some ground rules for everyone to follow. I was particularly impressed by Penko's brilliant facilitation skills, especially considering that when we first started the Sumire Project, it was not unusual for Penko to suddenly burst into tears during a meeting. But after seeking support from a non-profit organization off campus, speaking out about her experience to friends on campus, and even providing support to others, Penko seemed to have grown more confident in the fall term, talking more freely about dating violence and crying no more. By winter, when we had finished with the Sumire Café, I could see that Penko was listening seriously to what others were saying and choosing words with care when discussing her own experience or knowledge. For example, she avoided talking in terms of "victim" and "abuser," and instead chose to say that she had experienced dating violence in a past relationship. This reflects her mentality as a survivor, as someone who has overcome adversity by having the courage to face the truth and be honest with herself. Even though I was merely accompanying Penko on her journey, playing but a small part in this project, I was close enough to feel the painful reality of dating violence.

Looking back, I feel that the Sumire Project has developed in line with Penko's own journey of healing and empowerment. Continuing it without her will be like starting a new project altogether. What remains certain, nonetheless, is the imperative to work toward making our campus a safer place, a place where violets can continue to bloom.