While the topic of sexual assault cases is not talked about much, I was surprised that in 40 years there were no changes in the rates of sexual assault. I really liked the river analogy Laura used about trying to focus on the upstream issues in the community rather than pulling and helping out the victims downstream. While there definitely should be resources put towards the latter, there should also be attempts made to change the overall culture so more cases do not occur. Currently, a lot of attempts are focused on education through videos or lectures. These approaches can be seen as victimizing and I have seen a lot of people be turned away from them.

Laura’s approach is definitely more promising, I think it is more subtle and people will be more open to it. I hope there’s a follow-up talk about the results and if any improvements have been seen.

This talk shows that small things do matter. The glow-in-the-dark bracelets can communicate where someone is going or if they’re alone. Coat racks help with the excuse of escape and for time alone. They are all ways for a breath of fresh air and a way out. I think that often we find ourselves in situations where we just go with the flow and don’t stop to think about where the situation is heading or what the consequences are. But these moments are important, they allow that time to stop, think and consider your feelings about the situation. I think that maybe we can benefit from this line of thinking. For example, feeling too stressed or overwhelmed? Stop and think. Those moments are what give you clarity and ease of pressure from others and maybe even your own mind. Just stop and think.

The Rose Cafe event with Laura Weiss really allowed me to broaden my perspective on the approaches taken to combat sexual violence. The program Cornell University is now adopting, which is modeled after Yale University’s model is a very modern and inclusive approach to fight the prevalent issue of sexual violence that is present on college campuses around the world. The conversation we had really cultivated a positive atmosphere and several ideas were suggested. For example, a group of girlfriends who decide to attend the same party should meet up beforehand and stay together to ensure everyone stays safe. Ideas as such are essential in fighting the deep-rooted causes behind sexual violence, and really depict how a sense of camaraderie and care for one another triumph any ill intentions that may be present. Furthermore, the idea of showing up to beach themed parties in bikinis which make many females uncomfortable and insecure should never be an atmosphere someone feels pressured to spend their time in. Instead, small ideas may be implemented, such as shark costumes or beach ball costumes which all help lighten the mood and make the environment enjoyable for everyone. This event really allowed me to identify how passionate I am about this issue on campus, and it was refreshing to see this new approach that is not aggressive or defined by rules and regulations, rather is inclusive of student ideas and may be implemented in a way that ultimately proves to be more effective.

I believe it is important to acknowledge the tension in sexual culture on campus, and it is also equally important to foster a community in which conversations about it can be carried out normally and comfortably- this Rose Scholars event exemplified just that. It should be okay to openly speak about any sexual events that result in any kind of harassment and it is equally important to address the positive aspects of sexual culture and help cultivate and further those changes.

In recent times with the presence of the #metoo movement, the focus on sexual harassment and ways our community as a whole can prevent and stop these offenders have become a hot issue. I think that from this cafe, it was extremely interesting in hearing about other ways sexual harassment can be prevented rather than what people may be currently focusing on, in teaching consent and respect. I completely agree with most people today in stating that as a society, we need to change our perspective on sexuality and remove the current rape culture that we have instilled within all aspects of our society so that these issues will be issues rather than being something looked over. Honestly, when Laura first discussed her ways of preventing sexual harassment by using glow sticks or holding cooldown events, I doubted their effectiveness but after playing each situation out in my head, I was able to understand how each tiny development that they could add to the experience could help prevent these problems from occurring. While that being said, we still need to as a society, look into preventing this behavior as a whole as while the tactics that we discussed were definitely helpful in a college setting, there still may be predators that will take any opportunity given to them past our college years. We’ve seen instances like Brett Kavanaugh and Brock Turner getting only slaps on their wrists after they harassed someone when more should have been done. With sexual assaults being drastically underreported due to the fear that people may not believe them, the belief that nothing would be done, or the trauma that one may face after, we need to be able to also build support systems for survivors and remove these predators from being able to prosper and move on with their lives when they should be punished for their actions. I guess what I would love to see would be these tactics or how we can manipulate these tactics to benefit the entire society, or how we can scale these projects to benefit a city.

I have never really thought of ways to prevent sexual harassment. I want to help in any way that I can but I’ve never even attempted to come up with ideas to tackle the issue because it seemed far too complex. When Laura Weiss told us coat racks and glow sticks could prevent sexual harassment I almost laughed out loud. I imagined someone fighting off someone else with a glow stick and it just didn’t make sense to me. But, what I found out was that the glow sticks were used so that you could see people better in the dark. If two of them break away from the bunch and one is too drunk to really know what is going on, others can see that and can try to bring them back to crowd or do something to make sure that everything is okay. I never thought about how having to leave early from a frat party and going to get your coat from the coatroom isolates an individual. The coat racks at frat parties would help prevent people from becoming isolated. It is small changes like these that make all the difference. Another idea was to have snacks and water in a common space kind of like an after party so that people did not feel pressure to have to go to their room if they are with someone. Laura Weiss had extensive knowledge on this topic and such great ideas. I am so glad that we have her here at Cornell. I think it would be great if the SA and other organizations on campus tried implementing some of these ideas (or coming up with ideas similar to these) to help prevent sexual harassment here.

This was by far one of the most interesting and informative Rose Cafes I have attended thus far. I was surprised to learn that Cornell had a role in the history of the subject as the term “sexual harassment” was created after a secretary experienced harassment in a sexual manner by her boss. It was inspiring to hear how women then banned together to support her and began to speak of their similar experiences. From this communication and support came the term sexual harassment.

I also enjoyed learning about the initiatives taking place on campus to reduce the risks of sexual assault. The idea that the little things such as handing out glow sticks after an event or placing coat racks in fraternities could go such a long way in making people feel more safe and secure in sometimes dangerous situations. I am glad the university considers this to be an issue that they are proactively attempting to combat no matter how big or small their means are.

Recently I attended the Rose Cafe on sexual violence prevention, led by Laura Weiss. This cafe was actually very different from what I was expecting. Instead of discussing topics like consent, the talk focused on how to prevent sexual violence through unusual means. One example that was provided was the addition of coat racks at fraternities hosting parties. Previously the fraternities would just have everyone put their coats in a locked room upstairs designated for that purpose. This situation was noted as being a potential safety concern, since partygoers would have to experience a period of relative isolation in order to retrieve their coats before leaving. As a result, the fraternities were all suggested to get coat racks. This eliminated the need for a coat room, as people could just keep their coats on the coat rack near the door and pick them back up on their way out of the party. What I found most interesting about the implementation of this idea, was that the suggestion to fraternities to get coat racks was not framed in a safety-concern type of way. Instead it was suggested that the addition of coat racks would be a nice hospitality gesture for their guests at parties. By framing these types of suggestions not as ways to reduce sexual violence–which implies that the ones receiving the suggestions are potential perpetrators–but as ways to increase the enjoyment of the events, I think people are less likely to be defensive about hearing the suggestions, and therefore more likely to actually implement them.

Unfortunately, sexual violence is an extremely pervasive issue that occurs across time and place throughout history. One of the places in which sexual assault often occurs is a college campus. College campuses provide unique spaces in which the opportunity to commit an act of sexual violence can arise. Laura Weiss, the Sexual Violence Prevention Program Coordinator/Victim Advocate, came to Rose to discuss how she works to reduce and stop sexual violence incidences at Cornell. Laura gave examples of programs they have implemented that one would never think of as a tool for preventing sexual assault. For example, her team provided fraternity houses with coat racks to put near their front doors when they have parties.

How do coat racks help prevent sexual assault?

They allow women to have a safe place to put their coats without having to isolate themselves from their friends to put their coat in a fraternity member’s bedroom and then retrieve it at the end of the night- drunk and alone. This simple initiative is just one example of how Laura and her team think outside of the box in the effort to stop sexual violence at Cornell.

Most of us have watched the bystander intervention video and learned in what situations to apply it to. When this type of intervention comes to mind, we think the worst and consider the seriousness of the situation. This is why, I was surprised when during this event we learned about fun practical ways that colleges have been trying to prevent sexual violence from occurring. For instance, the coat rack idea was not something I considered before, but it is a good idea for party environments where sexual violence is more prominent. Small ideas like this one could have a strong impact on campus, but it makes me wonder how do we solve this issue as a whole. As Weiss explained it is a phenomenon that is hard to understand and address. I hope that we could expand these ideas, such as the coat rack, off campus and find other ways to help society with this problem.

The Rose Cafe with Laura Weiss was really fascinating and gave me a whole new perspective on the issue of sexual violence. While there is no denying that sexual assault is a problem, it is not a problem with an easy solution. The combative approaches that deal with the issue head-on have made little impact on actually preventing sexual assault. I loved the subtle approaches that Laura discussed, and they provided some very inventive ways of making things both safer and fun. By working behind the scenes to make the entire environment more friendly and less dangerous, I think there could be real improvement in the issue of sexual violence. It was refreshing to hear about new ideas that came at the issue from a different angle. Overall, I really enjoyed this event, and it definitely made me think about sexual assault prevention in a new way.

A talk with Laura Weiss helped me understand the different methods that have been take over the past years to prevent sexual violence at Cornell. Sexual violence prevention is hard task. Unfortunately, sexual violence is deeply engrained in university culture and the simple teaching “why it is wrong” and “why it should not happen” has not decreased the frequency of it. Therefore, Weiss and her team have undertake a new course of action where they try to prevent situations in which sexual violence does occur. I liked these methods, such as obtaining a coat rack for a party so that one does not have to go to a secluded room to obtain their coat while trying to leave. Although these methods are helping there be fewer situations where one can feel vulnerable, it is not targeting the real issue at hand. In this controlled environment of a university, these methods may be useful, but when out in the real world, those who do not understand that sexual violence is unacceptable will continue to do so. I know it will be extremely difficult, but we will need a change in our culture and thinking to end sexual violence.

At this Rose Café I learned of the different techniques that Yale and Cornell have implemented to make their campuses safer. One thing I learned was that glow sticks were used at a Yale event, in order to prevent harassment because with the glow sticks everyone can see each other. Also, many colleges have implemented coat racks at parties off campus so that students don’t have to be taken to a room alone with a stranger. They can easily get their coat and leave whenever they want. What makes these techniques effective is that these are objects that no one associates with sexual harassment prevention. Thus, people are going to use it and live their life without feeling like it is being interfered with. When people can still feel like they are having fun and not being lectured you know that you have found a really good solution. Conversations about consent and prevention usually create a negative feeling and creates a feeling of fear because you feel like you have to follow specific steps to protect yourself. Yet, with the solutions I spoke of above it focuses on the positives and a person doesn’t feel like they have to fear anything.

As a trip participant of Alternative Breaks, I am currently learning about service learning, domestic violence, sexual violence, gender-based violence, human trafficking, and later in life abuse. I will be visiting Womankind, an agency that empowers these survivors and provides healing services to them, over spring break. From our cafe talk, I found it very interesting how the material I am learning can be related to campus life and how we can be actively involved with preventing sexual acts. I was also amazed how Cornell University coined the term “sexual harassment”. I love the innovative yet hidden ways of protecting the students from sexual harassment and will continue to think of some ways as well.

Last week, I attended the talk on sexual harassment. I found it very fascinating because I was unaware of the different measures that Cornell went through in order to make sure that people do not experience sexual harassment. For instance, on halloween night, they had a stand set up in the middle of west campus. This tent contained candy and pizza. It was running from 11 pm- 3 am. I thought that it was interesting for the tent to be set up in the middle of the night, but I found out at this talk that the reason it was set up was to prevent sexual harassment. The way that it prevented sexual harassment was that if someone was coming back from a party with a guy and had maybe a little too much to drink. The tent would make them stop and rethink what they were doing. This momentary pause could possibly save them from going into a room with the guy or girl. I found this to be very fascinating because it never occurred to me that certain things the school does are ways to prevent any sexual harassment from occurring. Cornell took inspiration for these kinds of tactics from Yale. Yale inspired Cornell to take on other measures like coat racks. Coat racks are placed in parties, in order to have a place for people to place their clothing. This will prevent them from going to a room in a fraternity house and being assaulted because they needed to get there coat out of the room. I am very impressed by these measures and I like the fact that they are implementing these methods as a way to lower sexual harassment.

Last week I had the opportunity to attend the talk on sexual violence prevention and how it is being dealt with today. I learned that the term “sexual harassment” was coined here at Cornell by a woman who experienced it here. Since then awareness of the existence of this issue has grown; however, the incidents do not seem to have diminished. In explaining how a new approach to dealing with this problem Laura Weiss made a great analogy with a river and waterfall. People are constantly being saved from the downstream area of the river and waterfall; however, focus must also be put on seeing what is happening upstream that is leading to these people falling in. This new approach to prevent sexual violence involves persuading our peers to make slight changes to different school events that add to the fun as well as increase safety. There are no confrontational measures and this, rather than make the possible victim become scared, allows him to her to continue to enjoy the event but also to be safe. Most of these approaches are very surprising in the sense that when one thinks about it the great impact it makes would not have crossed my mind. The coat rack example was fascinating to me because it seems to small yet makes a big difference. Overall, I see this new approach towards prevention of sexual violence as very creative and as one that has a lot of potential. I appreciated this talk and am now more aware of differences that I can push for to increase the safety and my peers and myself.

This past Wednesday, I attended the Rose Café event led by Laura Weiss. She talked about the history of sexual harassment and positive yet interesting ways of preventing sexual harassment on campus. Some ideas that Yale used were adding coat racks to frat parties and passing out glow sticks and university stickers during college events. These methods sound unusual and don’t seem effective at first glance, these approaches could add extra fun to university events while preventing sexual harassment. For instance, adding coat racks to frat parties (or any other parties) reduce unwanted interaction between individuals or separating individuals from their groups. In addition, glow sticks and university stickers can add visibility and recognition when the events happen at night. Through discussion, we learned that these two items can increase awareness from the surrounding, which can reduce sexual violence. I wish Cornell can develop other methods to reduce sexual harassment on campus.

This is my first time attending a Rose Cafe event. Since the theme is about sexual violence, my initial expectations were that sort of “takeaways” for boys and girls alike: how to avoid dangerous situations, how to identify the possibility of sexual violence that’s about to happen, how to safely and efficiently protect yourself, how to make use of the safety resources that one’s school, e.g. Cornell, offers, to make ourselves safer.

However, things did not turn out as what I had anticipated–the bulk of the talk was about how, even before anything starts, the possibility of sexual violence can be put under control or even eliminated–and the approaches were done or could be done in a funny and non-obvious way! For example, at places where parties are usually hold, the hosts are sold coat racks that can be put in the corner of the living room for the sake of convenience and hospitality–but what they are not told is that the coat racks are actually aimed at preventing people from going upstairs into someone’s bedroom to put down or take away their coats–which introduces a dangerous situation of possible sexual violence (especially after people are somewhat drunk!) This is something I had never heard of, and definitely the new ideas were eye-opening.

It was also interesting to hear that the term “sexual harassment” was actually originated from here in Ithaca. As an international student I learned yet another original fact that is related with the place that I had chosen to come to.

I attended the Rose Cafe event about sexual violence with Laura Weiss as our guest speaker. Weiss shared examples of how the sexual violence prevention staff at Yale University asked the event organizers about ways to take out the sexual aspects while still maintaining the fun and entertainment. One example that I thought was resolved smoothly was the beach themed party event in which the dress code consisted of bikinis and swimsuits. Prior to the event, Weiss explained that many girls felt insecure about their bodies and went on diets. During the planning phase, the sexual violence prevention staff asked the event organizers about the dress code and how it can be improved. The event organizers wanted people to have fun, so they decided on bikinis and swimsuits without negative intentions. However, they thought about it and ultimately decided on beach costumes such as sharks and beach balls. The beach themed party ended up being a fun event because people felt comfortable in what they were wearing. I am grateful for the sexual violence prevention staff for their input and the event organizers for making the decision to change the dress code. Social events should be exciting and enjoyable, but if something uncomfortable like a revealing dress code is part of the event then people would not have a great time. I think I would dread attending the event and change my mind at the last minute to stay in my dorm if the dress code did not change.

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.

In this week’s Cafe Talk, Laura Weiss taught us about the history of sexual assault prevention.  It’s interesting that the actual term sexual assault was coined at Cornell University.

Weiss mentioned how in the past, there was always a clear divide between victims and perpetrators as being women versus men.  While it is statistically proven that men tend to be the perpetrators in many sexual assault cases, it’s futile in pitting women against men.  Instead, there was finally a shift in speaking more about the

I remember Weiss talking about an analogy comparing sexual assault to people falling into a river.  For the longest time, we would send people downstream to rescue these people.  Nonetheless, now there is a shift towards going upstream, and investigating how and why people are falling into the river.  We are currently exploring ways of preventing people from falling into the river (being sexually assaulted), rather than just treating and helping the victims.

Examples that Yale has done on campus is having people wear glow sticks after a school formal or dance.  While the students see this as a fun accessory to a beautiful night, it also doubles as a preventative measure to sexual assault.  If someone were intoxicated or being dragged away, the glow sticks give others an indication that something is wrong.

It’s also interesting how many sexual assault cases occur while people are inhibited by alcohol or drugs.  When we were mentioning the different possibilities of sexual assault on campus (coat check at a party, a school dance or formal, etc), a common factor was alcohol.  Nonetheless, this doesn’t encompass all sexual assaults.

After listening to this discussion, I hope Cornell University takes the proper step towards addressing sexual assault by allowing students to incorporate these subtle factors (coat rack, food outside as a “sobering up” or buffer area).

“1 out of 4 women in college campuses are victims of sexual harassment and those numbers have been like that for 40 years”, are the words that keep resounding in my head after this week’s Rose café with Laura Weiss. I kept thinking to myself “how that could even be possible? How could this plague society for four decades consistently? Are we not educating people properly? Is society too stuck on its patriarchal way of thinking? Do people just not have any common sense or respect for one another?” I have yet to come up with a good answer for any these questions.

Forty years of research and work done on this topic doesn’t seem to be doing much to decrease the levels of sexual harassment. Laura mentioned that Yale has been working on a new “stealthier” approach in combating sexual harassment: creating a more comfortable and positive environment in otherwise vulnerable situations. I found that this logic is sound. You basically eliminate any moment or place where people could easily be susceptible to harassment or assault and eventually, you’ll see a decrease in sexual assault cases. It’s a long term solution but it’s a solution, and the people working on this come up with some really good and creative ideas.

I really liked this idea and I believe (and hope) it will work in decreasing sexual harassment cases in the long term, and perhaps even lead to new, shorter term solutions.

After attending the sexual violence cafe talk, I learned that there are many non-confrontational ways to tackle the issue of sexual violence. One really interesting method that Yale implemented was handing out glow sticks to party-goers. This would help people identify other people in the dark and see if anyone was stumbling or being taken away. To me, this seemed like the most effective method because it is fun and doesn’t imply any negative connotations. I hadn’t realized that there were separate organizations who were tasked to create such creative solutions to sexual violence. I also learned that Cornell had implemented a creative solution on West Campus. They created what is called “slow-down” zones to help people coming back from parties take a moment to reassess their night and make better choices.

I really enjoyed this week’s Rose Café where we learned about all the ways in which Cornell is working to create a safer, more fun environment for its community. I think it reassuring to know that Cornell is not only actively working to prevent its community from harm but also trying to make the social scene the best it can be. This effort, in my opinion, concretely evidences that Cornell is committed to seeing the community thrive. Additionally, I believe that taking efforts to try to shift the culture that exists on campus in a way that prevents sexual assault from occurring in the first place is powerful. Indeed, to use Laura’s metaphor, I certainly agree that the more individuals that are not pushed downstream, the better.
What slightly concerned me about these efforts to shift campus culture in a way that makes every community experience more fun and more memorable is how these efforts are not framed as addressing the issue of sexual assault and gendered violence. I do understand the point about not wanting to seem accusatory, but I wonder if there is a way to broach the subject in a way that simply tries to create understanding about the issue without being accusing. For example, when it is suggested to fraternities that they purchase a coat rack as a hospitable gesture that will reduce the hassle of their guests, could not it be mentioned that it would really add to the fun that the guests are able to have because it prevents women from having worry about putting themselves in a vulnerable position to get their coat? In my opinion, it is often hard to solve a problem when people are not forced to acknowledge that there is one. If people are able to pretend that sexual assault is not a problem, I worry that the problem will persist. For example, if individuals are not forced to acknowledge and grapple with the fact that sexual assault is a problem, when they see one student leading another intoxicated student upstairs, they might be less likely to check on them and deescalate the situation if necessary, rationalizing that surely he is just showing her the way to the bathroom or something.

In all honesty, I was not looking forward to this week’s Rose Cafe because of my previous experiences. In the past, sexual assault prevention training I have attended was not pleasant. The topic is inherently emotionally charged, and strategies that were emphasized were either vague and therefore unpractical, or pegged individuals into groups. Men were treated as perpetrators, w0men as solely responsible for their own safety, and everyone as bystanders who suddenly held momentous responsibility in others lives and were guilty if they failed to act.

Conversely, the tone of sexual assault prevention in this Rose Cafe was altogether different and focused on the positives. Not that assault is positive, but there are many ways we can prevent it in a way that is constructive and creates community as a byproduct. To my own surprise, I thoroughly enjoyed the talk and agreed with the components – ideas of catalyzing our college communities to change to prevent sexual assault. Because the previous negatively focused programs regarding the issue did not have tangible results, I think it is very important we try to combat it in a different way, and I am excited to see what this program will do in the future.

In this weeks Rose Café, Laura Weiss came and spoke about sexual harassment prevention, particularly on university campuses. Unlike many talks regarding sexual harassment, Laura focused on ways to solve the problem indirectly through positive actions that may benefit the community, rather than directly through negative actions that seek to punish or restrict certain social groups. I found this to be an interesting way to tackle a serious, and unrelenting problem on college campuses. For instance, Laura talked about various tactics Yale has adopted that aim to provide students with a greater level of interaction during social events, especially a chance to interact with other people besides a potential (or current) partner. While the success of these programs is hard to measure, I think that some of them have the potential to make small improvements in preventing sexual assault. Additionally, many of these initiatives also help benefit the entire community in other ways, which I think is an added bonus. However, while efforts like these are certainly important, I do not believe the issue of sexual harassment will disappear anytime soon. Sexual assault does not persist because there is a lack knowledge about consent, but rather because there is a widespread disregard it. As Laura mentioned in her concluding remarks, there are many programs that aim at educating students about consent and advocating for safe sexual activities, but if students are unwilling to change their attitudes about consent, and respect other peoples wishes, then sexual assault will always continue to be a problem.