Haven brought “Take Back the Night” back to Colgate’s campus on Wednesday, April 15. This year, the march carried extra weight as Sexual Assault Awareness Month marked its 25th anniversary.
Before the protest, Haven hosted a “Survivor Speak Out” event, providing a healing space for survivors. Additional Sexual Assault Awareness Month programming included the ALANA/Salvagers Clothing Swap & Haven Denim Day Patching, OISS Let’s Talk Brown Bag and Dancing with Respect Workshop.
“Take Back the Night” is a global movement dedicated to ending sexual violence. For Colgate’s protest, participants gathered at the O’Connor Campus Center (Coop) and marched through the academic quad to Willow Path, down Broad Street and back up the steps by Persson Hall to the Chapel.
Haven’s Assistant Director Nicole Blidy addressed the group before the march began. In her comments, she expressed excitement about continuing the tradition of showing support for the cause.
“[Take Back the Night] is an annual tradition that we do to let folks know on campus that we are not tolerating instances of sexual violence and other forms of interpersonal violence on this campus,” Blidy said. “We are so appreciative of all of our allies here who are willing to support this cause with us.”
The event has roots that predate Haven itself. Blidy noted it was originally started by The Network, a student organization focused on sexual assault and domestic violence awareness that operates similarly to Haven Ambassadors — minus the peer support component.
“It has been going on even before Haven was in existence,” Blidy said. “It started with the club The Network, which a lot of people don’t really know about, but they’re kind of similar to Haven Ambassadors — they do similar work without the peer support element.”
Sophomore Lydia McMullen, a Haven Ambassador, explained that while Blidy led much of the event planning, ambassadors contributed by creating posters for participants to carry during the march. She emphasized the strong sense of community among attendees.
“It was fun — I liked it. I thought it was for a good cause, so I think it is pretty important,” McMullen said. “At first, I was anxious, but I think the group was really good, so it was a good time.”
Chants addressing consent, rape culture and bodily autonomy echoed across the academic quad, drawing students and staff who stopped to watch. Some of these spectators joined the march entirely.
Blidy praised the Haven Ambassadors and the broader campus community for their engagement.
“We have a really great cohort of ambassadors that were here tonight, but we also had people that weren’t ambassadors show up, which was awesome,” Blidy said. “It’s really, really empowering and it lets me know that, you know, I’m kind of in the right place. Colgate students care about these issues.”
Blidy also emphasized the importance of making Haven accessible to all students, explaining that stigma can sometimes prevent individuals from seeking support.
“There’s a stigma behind coming into Haven, but anyone can,” Blidy said.
Building on the strong turnout and engagement at the march, Blidy noted that student participation is central to Haven’s mission.
“We are here to serve the students, and so it’s really amazing when you have students that are equally as passionate about the work as you are that show up and come to these things,” Blidy said. “And it feels really empowering when students show up for things that they’re really passionate about.”
First-year Anna Karmanos was among those who participated despite not being directly involved with Haven.
“I heard about the event from some of my friends who were involved with Haven. They reached out and asked if I would like to join the protest, and I did,” Karmanos said. “I feel very passionately about supporting survivors of sexual violence, and I think coming together as a community to unite against this violence is very impactful.”
Karmanos, who had never attended a formal protest before, described the experience as both meaningful and energizing.
“It was exciting along the way to see friends and other supporters join us in the march and support this message and stand together,” Karmanos said. “That was a part of protesting that I wasn’t really expecting. I felt like it made the process much more meaningful and felt like we were really reaching out to the community and getting other people excited about and interested in standing up for survivors and prevention.”
Although the protest included participants of all genders, Karmanos said she felt particularly uplifted as a young woman.
“Overall, the event made me feel very empowered as a woman and as a young person that is moving through the world and is … wanting to be there for others that have been through something like this and also just stopping it from continuing to happen,” Karmanos said. “I felt very supported by my peers … and I felt energized by the passion in the crowd.”
In addition to hosting events like “Take Back the Night,” Haven provides confidential advocacy, educational programming and resources for students seeking support. Students can access Haven for help navigating reporting options, medical care or emotional support following experiences of sexual or interpersonal violence.
