The platform provided by the bi-annual Take Back the Night event can speed up the healing process of survivors, according to Morolake Odetoyinbo, a counselor at St. Lawrence University. The effects of this event on survivors themselves are tremendous, whether they choose to speak or not.
Take Back the Night, taking place in the Gunnison Memorial Chapel every semester, is an open event where survivors of sexual assault are given the opportunity to stand up in front of an audience to speak freely and tell their stories. People on campus other than survivors are affected by this event, and these effects last beyond Take Back the Night.
This event is traditionally hosted by The Dub, a theme house on campus oriented towards inclusivity and acceptance for all. The Dub became responsible for planning and hosting the event due to their philosophy as a house and as an advocacy group on campus.
A resident of The Dub, Emily Coppola ‘23, describes The Dub as a place that “supports sexual assault survivors and sexual health and resources.” She emphasized that “these things apply to every person on campus.”
Take Back the Night leaves an effect on the students and faculty at St. Lawrence for days afterwards. These effects are unpredictable because the speakers are anonymous up until the start time, when their identities are finally revealed. While living on such a small campus in such a tight knit community, it is very possible that you may know one of the survivors who will be sharing their story.
According to Coppola, prior to Take Back the Night, a representative from The Dub will email the entire faculty to explain that there may be some changes observed in their students. “My email simply let the faculty know that this was happening,” she explained. “It was just asking them to be sensitive for the next few days because we know how emotionally triggering the event can be.”
At Take Back the Night this semester, most people began in a light and supportive mindset. As the night continued and more speakers were revealed and shared their stories, the mood began to shift. Some people were experiencing the mood shift more clearly than others.
Caitlin Whitehead ‘23, a student-athlete, attended Take Back the Night in support of the speakers and the event itself. Whitehead displayed a change in her demeanor from the beginning of the night to the end. “I guess I was just shocked by what some of the survivors were saying,” she admitted. “One of them was my neighbour from sophomore year and I had no idea what had happened to her in our hallway.”
Morolake Odetoyinbo, a counselor of 20 years who works at St. Lawrence University says that if the survivors involved do not feel pressured to share their story, “speaking about trauma in a therapeutic and affirming environment speeds up healing.” This is what the Take Back the Night event provides for survivors.
“Sometimes when we come to the table with our single story, we take over the space and forget those with different experiences,” Odetoyinbo stated when asked about the effects of survivors speaking openly about their stories. “It is best for survivors to process their own trauma before engaging as advocates/activists,” she added.
The next Take Back the Night event will be in the Spring of 2022. There will be new survivors who wish to speak and share their stories for the better of themselves and the St. Lawrence community.