From Oct 16th to the 20th, St. Lawrence University will see the return of the Advocate’s purple week. This is a time committed to recognizing survivors of sexual assault as well as domestic violence. The Advocates is a student resource on St. Lawrence campus that is committed to helping survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence while also serving as an educational resource in preventative action against sexual assault and domestic violence.   

President Margaret Hayes ’24 stresses the importance of Advocates role on campus. They provide a necessary resource to campus and host the upcoming Purple Week.    

The Advocates organization serves a significant role on campus with multiple areas of involvement. The most well-known of these is their telephone hotline, which is available 24 hours a day for members of the St. Lawrence University community, including students, faculty and staff. The phone line is confidential and is run by advocate-trained students. In addition to this, if a student chooses to do so, advocates can also serve as a delegate in a Title IX process. According to Hayes, they can directly work with Title IX Coordinator Lindsey Cohen to help provide support to students while going through the process. Another role the Advocates play, and one they want to make more well known on campus, is their weekly meetings on Tuesday nights at 7 p.m. in the Hannon Room of the Sullivan Student Center. This is a space that is an “inclusive space for everybody”, according to Hayes.    

This past Tuesday, Oct 17^th, the Advocates Collaborated with the Dub in an arts and crafts event, “a low stakes activity to engage with an advocate,” as Hayes put it. At these Tuesday meetings, you can learn more about how to get involved in the Advocates’ organization and be provided with a safe space.  

Hayes was excited to have collaborated with the Dub and went on to say that “we would love to work with more student clubs.” 

Purple Week is an annual weeklong series of events to show visibility of survivors of sexual violence. A schoolwide event well known for its large attendance is Take Back the Night, a time where survivors can share their experiences in a safe and supportive environment. Other events in the past, such as the Color Run in collaboration with Greek life, have been successful in showing support to the survivor community.   

If you are interested in being more involved in this organization, you do not need to be a trained advocate to help in other matters besides the phone. Hayes herself joined The Advocates as a first-year and attended meetings while supporting in whatever capacity she could at the time. She later decided to become trained in her second year and has continued her involvement in the organization.   

 Advocates provide training in support of sexual assault, domestic violence and stalking every semester over a weekend of demanding but rewarding work. Hayes says becoming a trained advocate can be an extremely beneficial part of one’s life and can have a positive change in understanding relationships in general. Hayes’ message to folks who are trained advocates but have not been active in the organization for a while is to come hold the phone! In Hayes’ eyes, it is great to be as involved as possible in whatever capacity you can!  

If you are interested in joining advocates, Tuesday meetings in the Hannon Room are always open to all, and if you have questions or would like to reach out to members of the E-Board, please feel free to contact mchaye20@stlawu.edu or jmsher21@stlawu.edu.