The department of
New Student and Leadership Programs under the Division of Student Engagement is very involved on campus and hosts many events including New Student Orientation and Week of Welcome. Now, on March 8, the department will host Students Fight Back, an informational session on safety and self- defense with the goal of empowering students to stand together as active bystanders and create safer communities.
NSLP student coordinators came up with the idea for this event after attending a Student Government Association forum and hearing that many students feel there’s not enough campus events that educate students on sexual assault and safety.
“Our students were the inspiration behind the event,” said Brandie Van Zanden, director of New Student and Leadership Programs. “We want students to know that we hear them and we are putting on programs for them.”
This interactive, gender-inclusive event will teach students how to manage their safety. The program will cover topics such as the definition of consent, verbal de-escalation skills, boundaries, how to support survivors, self-defense basics, improvised weapons, awareness, intuition and more.
“This program has a strong emphasis on how we can all partner together to put an end to violence,” said Van Zanden. "It will not only teach students how to defend and protect themselves as individuals, but to come together in support of one another and stand against violence and rape culture as a community."
This program will be held on March 8 at 6 p.m. in the Setzer Student Center Live Oak Ballroom and is free and open to all students. This event has been hosted before by Civic Engagement and Van Zanden hopes to bring similar programs to campus. April is sexual assault awareness month and the Student Health Center Health Education Program will put events on for that as well.