St. Lawrence student Hannah Searle is bringing the NO MORE campaign to St. Lawrence this year to support the fight against domestic violence and sexual assault.
“NO MORE aims to challenge the social stigma and normalize the conversation around domestic violence and sexual assault,” said Rachel Haas, the director of campus outreach at NO MORE. Survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault everywhere need a community to support them. “When people no longer have to hide in the shadows they can think that they are no longer to blame. That it is not me it is them,” said Searle.
The NO MORE table in the student center engages students by taking their photos with a NO MORE slogan the student creates from their beliefs. The advocates program has hope of reaching out to the community in more ways. “We want there to be a constant reminder that this is happening and this should be an all semester event, not two weeks of the year,” said Searle.
The St. Lawrence Advocacy Program is reaching out to students on campus in a new way. Students like Searle are trying to provide a safe community for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. “The numbers are going up and it is sickening to watch, if no one is doing anything it is up to us to make a difference and help the survivors,” said Searle.
There are problems with domestic violence and sexual assault even here at SLU. “We don’t take it seriously which would be the main thing that needs to change. Jokes on Yik Yak and other social media show a lot of disrespect for the topic,” said Ryan Orvis, the President of THELMO. This is what Searle and other advocates seek to change.
Searle was the student to reach out to the NO MORE campaign and raise awareness at SLU. “There are so many ways to bring the NO MORE to college campuses or any school or community for that matter and you don’t need NO MORE’s permission to start a NO MORE campaign or initiative on your campus,” said Haas.
The NO MORE campaign has a lot to offer on any campus, said Haas. “I would like to see so many things I guess change and I want to see at least numbers go down and less people feel guilty about their stories and not be scared to come out with it,” said Searle. Students need to know and face the problems with domestic violence and sexual assault.