By Jayme Marteniuk – Staff Writer

On the evening of Thursday, Oct. 19, the student-led Sexual Culture Committee (SCC) hosted its inaugural Take Back the Night Forum in Cleghorn, aimed at promoting discussions on sexual culture within the Bishop’s community. This event served as a platform for individuals to share their thoughts, opinions, and concerns regarding sexual culture while emphasizing the significance of raising awareness about and addressing sexual violence.

These discussions at the forum will help pave the way for the establishment of SCC subcommittees in the winter semester. The subcommittees will work to address discussed concerns and guide changes they hope will continue in the future. The SCC’s remaining fall semester included the silent vigil on Nov. 2 honoring survivors of sexual violence and the Take Back the Night march on Nov. 9, calling for an end to this violence.

The conversations that unfolded Thursday night touched on various topics, providing a glimpse into the difficulties of sexual culture and the need for mutual action within the community. The SCC or a guest speaker would present a set of discussion questions that small groups of participants would work on, followed by a group debrief of key findings after each question set. During one set of questions, participants explored different aspects of the Bishop’s environment that could influence the possibility of sexual violence.

The forum discussions shed light on the reasons why survivors might hesitate to report incidents of sexual violence. These discussions highlighted potential difficulties individuals face when coming forward, in particular for Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit people. Participants discussed reasons reporting processes could deter people from reporting or might make many survivors reluctant to navigate through it. Bishop’s addition of the online platform REES is a user-friendly and more accessible disclosure process that could better consider survivors’ needs.

Participants shared their perspectives on feeling safe, both on and off campus. Participants praised Bishop’s presence of Student Safety employees as a positive safety measure, aiding students to have a safe walk home from bars or from anywhere else in Lennoxville. Members of the student safety team will walk students home safely and carry necessary medical items in case students off- or on-campus and need any assistance. One concern regarding off-campus safety was raised about the presence of individuals along unlit paths and bike paths; some students said they did not feel the most comfortable when walking there at night.

Participants brought up the perception of Bishop’s University as a “party school” and that being a party school can elicit undesirable behavior in individuals. However, since it’s a small, tight-knit campus, it also has its advantages, some participants said. It can make issues more visible and accessible for discussion. Another group found the small size to be a barrier to reporting when word gets around quickly. It was expressed by some that the campus and its students have generally maintained safety and respect over the years. However, it was also noted that disruptions arise when students bring friends from outside the university, and others commented that a “tradition culture” associated with partying could make people resistant to safety changes. 

The Take Back the Night forum facilitated open conversations about sexual culture and highlighted the urgency of raising awareness and taking action to address these issues at hand. These discussions will play a pivotal role in the work undertaken by the SCC next semester and in the upcoming years. Students, faculty and administrators at Bishop’s University who engage in these conversations and initiatives contribute to a greater understanding of challenges in sexual culture and in eliminating sexual violence.