The Student and Presidential Committee on Sexual Assault planned a series of events for Sexual Assault Action Month, observed by the College each April since 2021. SAAM is an annual reminder of the ongoing issue of sexual violence in the College community and worldwide, sexual violence prevention director Amanda Childress wrote in an email statement to The Dartmouth.
The month’s activities and events include additional Sexual Violence Prevention Project training, an SPCSA symposium on April 5 and a candlelight vigil in solidarity of sexual assault survivors at Dartmouth on April 1. The SPCSA will hold a bake sale on April 15 and host a 5K fundraiser on April 28 for WISE — a nonprofit aimed at eliminating gender-based violence in the Upper Valley, according to the organization’s website.
The SAAM page on the College website provides more than 60 additional ways people can “take action to prevent sexual violence” and create a safe community — such as modeling positive behavior or donating to organizations working to end sexual violence.
Childress wrote that the events hosted by the SPCSA allow students to publicly show support for survivors. According to Childress, SAAM shifts the conversation from passive awareness to a more “active” role in preventing harm.
According to SPCSA executive chair Ann Tran ’25, the turnout to the events — particularly the April 5 annual SPCSA symposium, which featured College President Sian Leah Beilock and chief health and wellness officer Estevan Garcia as speakers — nearly tripled from previous years. According to the College website, the symposium focused on the College’s efforts to end sexual violence. Tran said she attributes the greater attendance to the improved visibility of event locations and better outreach efforts made by the SPCSA.
Tran said SPCSA works with various campus partners — such as Title IX, the Greek Leadership Council and the College administration — to identify issues and areas of improvement that can help “mitigate sexual violence.”
While SAAM events are not new to the College, Tran said she aimed to “extend and expand” the programming offered this year.
“I think it’s a really great opportunity to raise awareness,” Tran said. “It’s also a unique opportunity that can be very uplifting and uniting … in showing solidarity and awareness for survivors.”
Garcia added that it is “important” to continue to support survivors of sexual violence, not only through peer support but also through additional mental health and wellness services offered by the College. He added that Sexual Assault Peer Alliance and SVPP training both serve as “the prevention piece” of sexual violence.
Childress also wrote that the SVPP curriculum takes a multidisciplinary approach to addressing sexual violence. SVPP is multi-year sexual violence prevention curriculum. SVPP is focused on “develop[ing] positive behaviors, not just knowledge and awareness,” Childress wrote.
Garcia added that it is important to mandate sexual violence prevention training early into the college experience, as students are most vulnerable to sexual violence as freshmen. According to past reporting by The Dartmouth, the College’s sexual violence prevention curriculum focuses on freshmen and sophomores.
“I think our group really wanted to engage folks coming onto campus as quickly as possible because we know that the highest risk for sexual violence is that first semester for female freshmen,” Garcia said. “They are at the highest risk during that first term here … so that was our goal of trying to do that education as quickly as possible.”
Garcia said that students who have engaged with the curriculum appreciate the obligatory training modules.
“What we know so far is that 90% of students found the attendance and the training to be useful,” Garcia said. “We’re going to invest in making sure that if you want training, it is readily available and then once you take the training, tell two friends.”
German studies professor Heidi Denzel — who attended the Candlelight Vigil and symposium events earlier this month — said she hopes student awareness and knowledge about community resources, such as SAPA and WISE, will grow in the future.
Denzel said she “established a relationship with the Student Wellness Center” to facilitate increased awareness of sexual violence. She added that she has implemented lessons on sexual violence prevention and mental health into her courses, including first-year seminars and classes in the German department, so that she can be “better prepared” to advocate for her students.
Tran said it is “unfortunate” that the conversation about sexual violence at Dartmouth is at “a lull,” explaining factors such as the D-Plan and study abroad programs distract from campus news. She added that newer students are relatively unawarene of major sexual assault cases from years prior.
“People don’t talk about sexual violence or aren’t outraged by it until a big case happens or until there’s a headline,” Tran said. “We in SPCSA…care a lot about being there and preventing things before they happen. ”
Garcia also said prevention is a key element of removing the negative behaviors that impact student wellness and students’ ability to “function” on campus. He added that campus must work to eliminate “predatory behaviors and sexual violence” altogether.
“Gender-based violence or sexual violence certainly runs counter to what [the Student Wellness Center] is trying to achieve — which is a holistic approach to wellness and academic success by taking care of yourself,” Garcia said. “With sexual violence, unfortunately, survivors often have depression and post-traumatic stress.”
Tran added that prevention by changing the campus culture is a “goal” of SPCSA.
Correction Appended (April 11, 5:35 p.m.): A previous version of this article referred to SVPP as a two-year curriculum. In fact, SVPP will become a four-year curriculum. The article has been corrected. A previous version of this article erroneously stated that WISE would hold a bake sale and 5K fundraiser. In fact, the SPCSA will host these events to fundraise for WISE. A previous version of this article erroneously stated that College President Sian Leah Beilock was on panel for the Annual SPCSA Symposium. In fact, Beilock only spoke at the event. The quotes of Amanda Childress have also been updated to improve their accuracy of her written statement to The Dartmouth.
Correction Appended (April 12, 5:18 p.m.): A previous version of the article featured an incorrect quote by Ann Tran. The article has been updated.
