Wednesday night was supposed to be a night of education, awareness and emotional testimony. Due to a few disrespectful students, it turned into a night of offensive jokes and heckling. The Take Back the Night march, a stand against sexual assault, began at Old Main and wound its way through campus. When it reached East Halls, a few men said things from their dorms not even worth repeating here. And you know what it makes you, boys (yes, boys)? Cowards.

How ridiculous you are to make light of a very serious, emotional experience for so many. You are the reason marches such as Take Back the Night must go on. One thing to mention to the "men" who decided to be fools: You have a lot of learning to do. We can only hope you won't have to learn it through a personal experience. We're not asking everyone to join the march. We're not asking everyone to even acknowledge it. (It would've been better if the hecklers hadn't.) We're asking for respect, an open mind.

And, for every woman and girl -- yes, girls and boys as old as 5-years-old have been sexually assaulted -- your disrespect and utter stupidity make it easier for one more person to be assaulted. Those who yelled are by no means the majority at Penn State, but even one is too many. The hooting and defamatory comments create a culture of fear for assault victims.

At a poignant moment, one woman recounted a personal experience of sexual assault through a microphone. When she finished, a person shouted "Ooh!" in a derogatory manner from a neighboring window. How dare you? Grow up or at least shut up.

To those who participated in the march, we applaud your courage and willingness to bring this horrible crime into Penn State students' minds. Your efforts will never go unnoticed. You are building upon the foundation that has been laid by so many others who care. You will make a difference. You will make things better. Applaud those men who were strong enough to stand with those who told their stories Wednesday night. Be confident that there is a "cure" for sexual assault, and you are the ones finding it.

And to the cowards: Either open your eyes to the problem of sexual assault or leave Penn State. Every word you uttered Wednesday night is one more person sexually assaulted. You should hope it's not your friend, girlfriend, sister, mother, aunt, cousin, brother. You should hope.