Right outside of Moorpark College, frustration rang loud and clear Thursday afternoon during a student-led protest against Title IX policies and the college administration’s handling of sexual misconduct accusations.

The protest on Dec. 14 took place almost a week after sexual misconduct accusations on the campus took social media by storm. TikToks and Instagram stories posted over the previous weeks called out the college administration for not taking immediate disciplinary action against a 26-year-old male student, accused by several women of sexual misconduct that has taken place since January, primarily in the college’s Performing Arts Center.

In response to a growing student movement on social media, Moorpark College President Julius Sokenu sent out an email to students and faculty explaining that the college takes sexual misconduct allegations seriously and handles them in accordance with federal and California state law.

“Our priority is the safety and well-being of all our students; we continue to support students as they bring their concerns to the correct campus authorities,” Sokenu said.

Sokenu, along with other administrators, also hosted two town halls to clear up students’ misconceptions on Title IX and respond to questions and concerns regarding their safety and well-being on campus.

Students; however, were not satisfied with the town halls or the administration’s response to recent sexual misconduct accusations against the 26-year-old student and other alleged harassers on campus. The planned protest, coordinated and led by second-year Moorpark College student Isa Rojas, proceeded as scheduled.

Rojas, one of the victims of the 26-year-old accused student, has been the head of the campus-wide movement against Title IX and administrative ineffectiveness with regards to sexual misconduct.

“I was going to do this [protest] no matter what because it’s not only something that the school needs to be aware of, but it’s something that the community as a whole needs to be aware of, and that is also why I decided to do it at the intersection because there’s a lot of traffic there,” Rojas said.

Rojas was referring to the intersection of Collins Drive and Campus Drive, right in front of the school’s campus. At 12:30 p.m., a group of around a hundred individuals marched and gathered at the intersection’s sidewalk. They were dressed in black and many held signs condemning the administration’s response to recent claims of sexual misconduct.

Emilie Schwarz, a performing arts student, was one of Thursday’s demonstrators. She said she participated in the protest to show her support for her peers.

“It’s horrifying knowing that the women in my classes come to school scared for their lives due to the ignorance of Moorpark College,” Schwarz said. “Being able to unite with these strong and powerful people and stand for change was a moment I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”

Students weren’t the only ones protesting. Moorpark College Theater Arts Professor Suzanne Fagan joined students in their march for reform. She said she spoke on behalf of the entire theater department in expressing her support for systemic change in the college’s sexual misconduct measures.

“We are here to support these students/survivors/my heroes/these victims in support of change at this college at the administrative level,” Fagan said.

While protestors cried out that the sexual misconduct situation has left a detrimental impact on the college’s female and nonbinary students, many male students showed up in solidarity with their peers, including Moorpark College student Dante Alanis.

Alanis, a friend of Rojas, was a stagehand for the college’s production of “Kinky Boots.” It was this production, students say, that started a long and winding road of sexual harassment and Title IX frustrations.

Alanis expressed that if the college administration doesn’t issue a more substantial response to students who have come forward with their sexual misconduct concerns, the school’s acclaimed theatrical department would also suffer the consequences.

“I think this theater department is going to lose tons of people,” Alanis said. “This is one of the strongest theatrical departments in the area, and I think if the administration doesn’t come out with a strong stance, nobody’s going to feel protected, hence nobody is going to want to go.”

During the protest, Alanis distributed packs of water bottles for demonstrators to grab from. Afterwards, he patiently collected the empty and remaining bottles and brought them back up the campus hill using a dolly. Alanis stopped continuously along the way to pick up the bottles that fell out, all while reflecting upon his involvement in Thursday’s demonstration.

“I want people to feel cared,” Alanis said. “I think people around, they shouldn’t feel like it’s just creepy guys around. I think they should know that there’s also good people who genuinely want to be a friend and offer a hand in a time of need.”

The protest lasted roughly an hour, and throughout, demonstrators repeatedly shouted and chanted the following phrases: “Protect victims not predators,” “Our voices matter” and “Where’s the Title IX?”

“You are silencing us, you are hurting us,” Rojas cried out through a megaphone. Her sentiments were echoed by resounding cheers and persistent honking from passerby cars.

While turnout for the protest was high, the outcome of the demonstration remains to be seen. Rojas hopes that the protest will pressure the administration to develop a more concrete response to students’ concerns.

“I’m hoping to get an official public statement from the school admitting that they messed up, acknowledging that this is a problem and showing us a new plan on how they’re going to change and how they’re going to do better,” Rojas said.

*Behind the Curtain is a series following the sexual misconduct accusations that broke at Moorpark College early December of this year. The previous story can be found here.