The national “NO MORE” campaign made its official stamp on the St. Lawrence University campus. Hannah Searle ’16, along with many faculty and friend supporters, is making sure that it sticks.
The goal of NO MORE is to create a campaign under which all domestic violence and sexual assault organizations can unite to raise awareness and terminate the issue. Perhaps you have already seen your favorite professional athletes saying “No More _______” during Sunday Night Football commercial breaks, or wondered what the little blue circle popping on social media is all about.
Searle says that she initiated the campaign on the St. Lawrence campus after being inspired by the events during Purple Week. “I realized that I needed to really do something about it if no one else was going to and (Purple Week) really shouldn’t be just a week but a year.”
A survivor of sexual assault herself, Searle hopes that the campaign will resonate with other survivors. “I decided to bring it to campus and make is an issue so that people who haven’t come out about (a sexual or domestic violence case) can have a voice. After hearing more stories, I realize there are a lot of people who are silenced.”
Angelica Soto, St. Lawrence Residential Coordinator and Advocates Advisor, and Meg Bernier, Assistant Social Media director, are helping with campaign promotion. “One of the best things that I find about the NO MORE campaign is its accessibility,” noted Soto. “The photos take relatively little time and all of the members of the community can participate, such as faculty, staff, and students.” Soto also said that the sign and photo create one unifying message that participants can enhance with their individual voice.
According to Bernier, Searle wrote an email faculty and staff encouraging their participation and posts on Twitter informed St. Lawrence followers at large. Searle and Bernier set up a joint iCloud account through which they were able to share the NO MORE photos. “At the most I expected maybe 50 photos and was surprised each time I went to my phone. I was at times getting influxes of 50 to 60 photos,” Bernier recounted.
Edward Burke ’15 took part in the photo taking at the NO MORE table. Burke’s sign read “NO MORE Thinking Inside Her Box.” He said that, “From a man’s perspective, we are often faulted for being too overzealous with intentions of hooking up with a girl. Guys get too caught up and much of that has to do with alcohol. ‘NO MORE thinking inside her box’ means having more of an intention toward a non-sexually driven relationship.”
The conversation about sexual and domestic violence raised the question of how common cases actually are on St. Lawrence campus. Student EMT Henry Eckerson ’15 noted that the answer could surprise some people. “There is way more (sexual violence) that happens on campus than anyone really thinks,” said Eckerson, “sometimes it’s reported and sometimes it’s not.” He attributed some of the problem to social taboo. “People don’t talk much about suicide, sexual violence, and sexual assault but it happens way more and to people much closer than you think”
St. Lawrence alumni are even taking part in the NO MORE conversation. Sarah Johnson, alumnus from the class of ‘82, produces activist films to combat complex issues such as sexual assault and gender stereotyping. She believes that the NO MORE campaign would be successful at St. Lawrence because university culture is a key source of engagement. “College campuses tend to be places of conversation where you can make change because there are leaders willing to take control,” said Johnson, “there is more information exchange (on campuses) more than anywhere else.”
Johnson also sits on the Board of Trusties and reported that the administration is keen on listening to students and taking action. “We recognize that this issue is worse than it’s ever been, so at the last Board meeting a specialist came in to help us understand steps to solving it.”
Johnson attributed the rampant number of sexual assault cases to the desensitization of the current generation through gaming and the media. She also said that, as the University works toward being more proactive, the student body will do the same. “St. Lawrence has always been a forerunner in taking action on sensitive topics, and issues like this are addressed from top to bottom and bottom to top.”
While the campaign has already picked up traction, it will need to maintain momentum in order for real change. According to Eckerson, “If you continuously press a message it eventually ingrains itself. You can hear a motivating speech, but that against all of life’s experiences isn’t going to do that much.”
Soto and Bernier spoke to this idea. Soto said that the team behind that St. Lawrence campaign is currently working on compiling a “Flipagram” (a short video made of photos) that will be shared via Instagram and also a physical display of all of the signs people made and held for the photo. She said that this would be another chance to get the message out. Bernier adds that the NO MORE photos will be featured in the winter Laurentian Magazine
As for Searle, the ringleader of the campaign, she intends to return to her high school to tell her story and mobilize the campaign there. “You can choose to not let it define you, to not be a victim. I want to make kids aware that these things do happen and how to prevent it.”
[…] activism. From North Carolina to New York to Alabama, students nationwide are speaking […]