Sexual Violence Awareness Month on Campus

By Marissa Burr, Opinion Section Editor

Despite not having school for the first couple of weeks of April, the campus is still preparing to host activities for Sexual Violence Awareness Month. This month, students should expect to see teal posters both on campus and in their inbox from Today@Canisius and on Griffnet advertising efforts to raise awareness about sexual violence. Teal is the designated color for sexual violence prevention. According to an article about its color analysis from Adobe, the cool green and blue mixture promotes clarity, open communication and symbolizes decency and renovation. Various events have been set, while others are still in progress and pending an official announcement.

In order to show support for survivors of sexual violence and to stand up against it, multiple Canisius teams will be wearing teal. This past Wednesday, the women’s softball team planned to hold a “teal game” versus St. Bonaventure University, but due to “inclement weather” the game was postponed, as announced by head coach Kim Griffin — more coverage to be found on the team’s Instagram account @griffssoftball. Upon returning from break, the women’s lacrosse team will host a teal game versus Marist College on April 19.

Outside of athletics, students are invited to join their peers, staff and faculty from both Medaille and Canisius at the Take Back the Night event on April 25: continue checking your Canisius email for further details. On Thursday, April 27, wear denim alongside others in the school community, as well as schools across the country, to stand up against victim blaming in cases of sexual violence.

Associate Dean of Students and Title IX Coordinator Debbie Owens wants to support those affected within the college, and in honor of the awareness month she is opening up a platform for survivors to share their stories if they so choose. According to Owens, submissions will be posted on campus and on internal social media “to not only allow for voices to be heard but to also make others aware that our community members are affected by this, and we need to work together to stop it and to support those that have experienced it, whether it has occurred here or in the community at large.” These submissions can include a survivor’s name or be anonymous and should be sent to owens30@canisius.edu.

Survivors of sexual violence are not alone while on campus, and there are support systems in place within the community to help them. To find out more information about what’s available, see The Griffin’s article from March 31 entitled “Survivors are not alone at Canisius” or contact the Title IX Office.