Empowering Resiliency with the Sexual Respect Committee
April marks Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month and in honor of the occasion, Chatham’s Sexual Respect Committee (SRC) is hosting a Resiliency Rally on April 15th. Graduate Psychology student Francesca Folio is co-chair of the SRC, a student-run organization devoted to promoting healthy communication, boundaries, and respect on campus with the intention of fostering an environment where sexual misconduct is not tolerated. Check out how you can get involved with the SRC below—
What activities and events are you hosting this April?
Students attend at Me Too Rally in 2018
Francesca Folio: The Resiliency Rally is on Thursday, April 15th from 6:00 pm - 8:30 pm on the Chatham Quad. There will be multiple tables with many different resources. Presenters and resources will include:
Katie Maloney ‘13 will be speaking on how to share your story. Katie is author of the book, Cake Pops and Coffee, which will be passed out during the event.
Skukura Woods, MSCP ‘20 will be leading a trauma-informed yoga session.
Pittsburgh Action Against Rape (PAAR) will be hosting a table thats provides support and resources.
Multiple Chatham student organizations will be tabling during the event.
What are the SRC’s initiatives on campus?
FF: [We aim to] provide a safe and supportive community to all students. By promoting these campaigns, our goal is to let students know that this campus is a safe environment. We support all human rights and we've worked closely with Queer Student Alliance and the Chatham Feminist Coalition. One of our biggest [goals] is making sure everybody in the community is safe and knows that this group is available to share their thoughts with.
We also promote multiple campaigns, including It’s On Us, MeToo, and Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Our goal is to educate students and provide resources on how to end sexual violence.
What type of environment are you hoping to foster and empower on campus?
FF: A comfortable environment where students feel like they can say what's on their mind. [We hope that] students will feel comfortable coming to us if there is a problem, or be comfortable saying, I really want to promote this initiative on campus. We're very open to partnering up with other student organizations. I think the main word I'm looking for is safe—our main goal is to be part of providing a safe campus for all students.
How can members of the Chatham community help encourage conversations around sexual respect, consent, and better sexual boundaries?
FF: I think [they can do that by] having [difficult] conversations. If you see something, say something, even if it's just creating a distraction from a situation so that a person can be safe. Since I started working as a Student Affairs Coordinator, I've noticed a change in myself. I have been more open and honest with people. This work has really helped me to be more direct and honest about things. I think that's the goal. Even if you feel awkward, it's better to be completely honest, especially when we're talking about consent and rape culture. Society has made it into a hush hush thing, but if you see something, you should say something. I keep going back to the three Ds of Green Dot—direct, delegate, and distract. Even if you do feel awkward or unsafe, you can use the Ds to help someone while keeping yourself safe. If you see an unsafe situation happening on campus, and you want to cause a distraction, you could set off your car alarm or you could delegate and go get an RA.
Our focus is having the courage to speak up and promote these initiatives on campus so that students feel more comfortable talking about them in everyday life. The best way to promote conversations around sexual respect, consent and better sexual boundaries is to educate yourself and remain open to learning about how to start conversations that can be difficult. We also encourage you to ask questions when something doesn’t make sense.
For more information on how to get involved in SRC, you can follow their Instagram: @SRC_chathu.
