“I would wear what I want!”
Hadley Thompson / The Bona Venture
thompshp20@bonaventure.edu
BY: HADLEY THOMPSON, NEWS EDITOR
“I wouldn’t carry pepper spray,” was written on one of the hundreds of small, cut-out pieces of paper shaped like flames.
St. Bonaventure University’s Department of Justice Program, Empower, hosted the Take Back the Night Walk on Wednesday. Taking back the night is historically meant to make communities aware of the unacceptable violence that may be happening, according to Tara Leonard, the director for sexual violence prevention and education.
“We’re taking back our community, we’re taking it and making sure that both men and women feel safe, that no one should feel fear,” Leonard said.
The flames were read aloud as students held small electric candles in front of Plassmann Hall. Each piece of paper said something that a member of the community would do differently if they were not afraid of violence.
Empower’s theme this year, “What would you do in a world without violence?” comes from October being domestic violence awareness month. In the Reily Center, this week, students in Empower set up tables near the bookstore for others to participate.
Students filled out their hopes on flames that were later read at the walk.
Leonard said a lot of the notes filled out had to do with traveling in the dark or alone.
“Not feel like they have to tell their friends or family members where they are at all times,” Leonard said. “A lot of things that we do unconsciously because we do live in a world with violence.”
Leonard explained these types of movements on campus are especially important because of the isolation that many have experienced throughout COVID-19.
“People are going out now and they didn’t learn these protective factors because of COVID-19,” Leonard said. “We weren’t moving around in social groups and now we are. We need to be reminded that we should take care of ourselves and those around us.”
Del Rey Honeycutt, the director of counseling services, said that Empower supports what they are trying to do for the effects of COVID-19.
”The Center for Student Wellbeing, Counseling Services, certainly supports Tara and Empower in their efforts to raise awareness and give survivors an opportunity to feel heard and seen if they choose,” Honeycutt said. “Ultimately, we always aim to empower survivors and help them reclaim their voice. The event is also a great opportunity for others to show their support of victims/survivors.”
Empower is not like any other group on campus, said Leonard.
“They are peer educators, striving to end sexual violence on campus. They are the ones that do the educational outreach, training for bystander intervention and they are trained in counseling,” said Leonard. “They want to be out there to let students know that these outlets exist, there is support there are advocates.”
Luka Galle, a student in Empower, said that Empower strives to promote the safety of everyone, not just women.
“We represent the general overall concern for student safety and general education. It makes us smarter so that we can share to the community to make them smarter,” Galle said.
Empower is partially funded by the Department of Justice and the university which includes salaries for students and a visiting sexual assault advocate for the community every two weeks.
“Other colleges do have student-run groups but I do not know of any that have as strong of a student-run group as we do, in the country,” Leonard said.
Events like taking back the night encourage people to look out for oneself and everyone in their community, said Leonard.
“Even students that you may or may not know, just being that bystander who is aware of how we are a family, a family that protects and takes care of one another. That’s what this is about,” Leonard said.
Empower at Bonaventure encourages everyone to know how to keep themselves safe and learn about the resources that are available to them.
Leonard said, “When trying to get an education, if we have to worry about getting abused, or someone violating us, or living in fear, we are not getting the education that we should be.”
thompshp20@bonaventure.edu
