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While Jessica Rosen was studying with friends in the fall of 2021, she discovered a protest happening on Syracuse University’s campus through Yik Yak, an anonymous communication app designed for college students.

Rosen, then a freshman, asked her friends about the protest, who told her it was for sexual assault prevention, and she immediately went to join.

This group of protestors soon became known as Stand With Survivors SU — later changed to Be with Survivors SU — a survivor-led organization that aims to support and advocate for survivors of sexual and relationship violence on campus.

“My activism is very personal to me,” said Rosen, who is a survivor of sexual assault in her childhood and adulthood. “I’m working to make sure change definitely happens before I leave … I want this campus to be a much better environment than when I stepped on it, and it has.”

Now a junior, Rosen is now serving as the president of BWSSU. Her leadership follows founder and former president ​​Carla Guariglia, who graduated from SU in the spring. Rosen is BWSSU’s third president as Kayla Turner, now Student Association’s director of relationship violence advocacy, led the organization in spring 2022.

During the fall of her freshman year, Rosen attended every protest and meeting.

“Just from the beginning, she wanted to help and be involved with the organization in any way that she could,” Guariglia said. “She always showed a lot of sensitivity towards other people in the group and was just always very ambitious to help.”

Guariglia called BWSSU her “passion project” and said she wanted to ensure she left the organization in the hands of someone who shared the same passion.

“(Rosen) definitely had that fire in her and she was so ready, and so excited and so willing to take on the job and the responsibility,” Guariglia said.

In her first semester as president, Rosen said she’s been focused on transitioning into the role and working “behind-the-scenes.” She’s worked on increasing the number of sexual assault training sessions on campus and potentially reviving a relationship with Vera House, a nonprofit organization that works to support survivors of domestic and sexual violence and other abuse.

Rosen said this will be a “very cautious” relationship. In August 2022, a CNYCentral investigation found that Vera House hired a level 2 sex offender as a “victim advocate.” Since then, SU issued a series of requests to Vera House to continue their relationship.

Rosen also took Guariglia’s spot on the Chancellor’s Task Force on Sexual and Relationship Violence, which was created in 2015 to support the university’s efforts in sexual violence prevention, education and advocacy.

Rob Hradsky, vice president for the student experience and co-chair of the task force, said Rosen is one of about 12 undergraduate and graduate students on the task force. He said BWSSU has helped create greater visibility of sexual and relationship violence issues on campus, which has encouraged the administration to think about how it can best support the university community.

Hradsky said Rosen is often the first to arrive at meetings.

“(She) just is very committed to the work, and I think has been a real asset to the task force,” Hradsky said.

Rosen said the task force has mostly been working on its survey to assess sexual and relationship violence in the community, which has made her realize the task force isn’t doing as much work on campus as it could be.

“I just want to know what I can do more in my position on the task force because I do hold power, but I’m also in a room full of adults, so I’m kind of scared,” Rosen said.

Rosen added that the task force is a welcoming environment, and she is hoping to speak up more next semester when the task force discusses potential campus policy reforms.

Rebecca Rose, a staff representative for the task force, has served as a mentor for Rosen as her academic advisor in the School of Education. Rose said she admires Rosen’s kindness and genuine support for students, which she said makes her a great leader along with her academic background in education.

“She wants to impact people’s lives and support them, especially children or youth,” Rose said. “And so I think working with college students and supporting them getting through college not just academically but socially, especially those who have been impacted by sexual relationship violence, is an important thing to do.”

Rosen said she remembers each of the protests from her freshman year vividly. In November 2021, the group held a protest against the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. At the time, she said the campus culture and environment was unsupportive of the movement.

The group met to protest members of the fraternity who were facing assault allegations and demand the fraternity expel a member, Guariglia said. The group was protesting near the Theta Chi fraternity house, which was co-hosting the fraternity’s “Fries with the Chi’s” philanthropy event alongside sorority Alpha Chi Omega to support Vera House. Several protesters chanted at the philanthropy event participants.

Rosen said some of the protesters claimed the philanthropy attendees were participating in “fake activism,” which upset many either attending the event or protesting outside Phi Kappa Psi.

Guariglia said many members left the organization after the Phi Kappa Psi protest, but Rosen remained involved. Guariglia said the event had massive backlash on social media.

“We really haven’t done protests since then, and I do want to say it’s probably because of that… reaction,” Rosen said. “But, at the same time, I believe if we had to do one now, it would be completely different… because the culture has grown.”

BWSSU has gained more support through university administration and other student organizations, including the task force and SA, Guariglia said.

Rosen said she is also hoping to table, fundraise and host sex-positive workshops and other events next semester, in addition to the organization’s participation in the annual Take Back the Night rally to raise awareness of sexual violence. Rosen said she will hold the position next year and hopes to complete the process to become a registered student organization.

“Next semester, we will be on campus. We will be active,” Rosen said.

Published on November 28, 2023 at 11:53 pm

Contact Kendall: kaluther@syr.edu