Last Wednesday, Laura Weiss had a chat with us about sexual assault and how she works with other students to attempt to prevent assaults from happening. The talk was quite interesting, as her team often came together in order to build these “slow-down zones,” otherwise thought of as areas in which one can take time to either re-think one’s situation, and these zones also create an elegant way out of a possibly uncomfortable situation. They also would make suggestions as to how some events can make guests feel more comfortable. Some examples of these include a coat rack and glow sticks. Before, at frat parties during the winter, guests would put their coats and other items in a particular room that was often locked. When someone needed their coat to go home, they would need to get a member of the frat to open the door for them, giving them a chance to be isolated with someone that they potentially do not know that well. A coat rack, in this case, was the solution, as it eliminates the possible isolation factor when guests are ready to leave. After sharing these ideas with us, she opened up the floor and asked us if we had any similar ideas to implement to help other students feel safer or about any other good times we had had on campus. I told the group about the last party I went to and how I felt so comfortable because I had pre-gamed and gone the party with 7 other ladies and how being with them felt empowering and safe with them. Safer than I had felt at other parties when I had only been with one other friend. The overall talk was engaging and exciting as it was interesting to learn of the different tactics that Cornell was attempting to implement in order to help men and women on campus feel and stay safer and comfortable.