On Wednesday, Nov. 8 at 6 p.m., students, faculty and administrators gathered in the Diboll Gallery for the eighth annual Sexual Violence Town Hall at Tulane University. The event, hosted by the Sexual Violence Prevention & Response Collective, sought to foster an open dialogue about sexual violence safety on campus.

The town hall began with opening remarks by Anna Johnson, co-director of the SPVR collective, and a keynote speech by Jenny Mercein, an associate professor with the Tulane Department of Theatre and Dance. 

Johnson said intersectional barriers within sexual violence advocacy may impact some more than others and that there is a misconception that sexual violence only impacts people of certain identities. 

“Almost everyone on this campus is impacted by this issue, whether it is themselves or their friend who has had an experience,” Johnson said. “We essentially all do response work and supporting survivors can be extremely overwhelming.” 

When she took the stage, Mercein described her experiences producing “Roleplay” at Tulane, a critically acclaimed play which has led to calls for positive social change on campus. The production focuses on sexual violence culture and examines intersectional issues including race, class, identity, substance abuse, mental health and privilege. 

“I was constantly awed by the bravery of the student artists involved, by their willingness to engage in difficult conversations, to rigorously interrogate the norms and behaviors that support and even encourage toxic behavior on our campus, some of which they themselves were [unknowingly] participating,” Mercein said. 

As audience members began to anonymously submit questions through the QR code projected on the screen, the panelists introduced themselves. 

The panel included administrative directors overseeing various parts of campus life and student health, as well as student advocates for sexual violence and prevention. They discussed what’s been done toward sexual violence education and awareness, how sexual violence is addressed within the Tulane community and plans moving forward for continuing sexual violence education.

Chief Title IX Officer Marcus Foster addressed discrepancies in sexual violence reports from the university, which he said are attributed to varying factors. In response to dwindling campus interest in attending events that discuss sexual violence, Foster said the Title IX office conducted a survey with 50 public health students at Tulane that asked how to keep raising sexual violence awareness in a effective way. 

The Title IX office found that most students would like to learn the tools to deal with sexual violence in the community. Consequently, the office has shifted to providing workshops in collaboration with graduate and professional students and faculty to help inform aspiring student leaders to react to those incidents. 

“The initial feedback we’ve got from those four sessions has been overwhelmingly positive, so we anticipate continuing to offer those sessions,” Foster said. He also highlighted the professional development program offered through the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion specifically for employees of the university to learn more about gender equity and to equip them with the skills for dealing with sexual violence in the community. 

Continuing education in sexual violence for upperclassmen was also a topic of interest during the question and answer portion. Jennifer Hunt, the assistant director of The Well for Health Promotion and Sexual Aggression Peer Hotline and Education advisor, said the purpose of prematriculation online models is to establish “shared knowledge, beliefs and expectations around healthy relationships and healthy sexuality” within the incoming members of the Tulane community.

She also said new initiatives are in progress to encourage sexual literacy within the student body by establishing “touch points” throughout the phases of a Tulane’s student life cycle, including when students study abroad or move off campus.

Nelda Bailey, director of the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Programs, spoke about the perceived correlation between sexual violence and Greek life. She said her office has trained campus leaders on prevention, what to do when something has been reported at a social event and next steps in terms of support for the person impacted.

Hunt emphasized the importance of not taking a one-size-fits-all approach toward sexual violence survivors. She said an individual’s lived experiences are central to how they respond to sexual violence, and it is important to incorporate intersexuality in post-care. Respecting others could involve making space for a person impacted in ways that aren’t centered around traumatic events, or centering their voice in the discussion using inclusive language, she added. 

As the panel concluded, the SVPR collective urged the audience to stay supportive and informed. 

“I want to thank SPVR for completely changing the trajectory of my college experience and my life. Learning how to support survivors has made me a better advocate, but also a friend and a better person,” Johnson said.