Dani Gagnon
Features Editor
Last Wednesday Jan. 22, k(NO)w held an open house inviting the student body to attend and hear their definitions and outlines of their goals for the semester. The meeting, while short, was direct and efficient in refining the framework for the group’s short-term goals. When reflecting on the group’s development, Group Organizer Gina Christo ’14 said that while k(NO)w officially formed spring semester of the 2012-13 school year, it came into its own last fall and this semester it can finally present itself to campus.
Before the formation of k(NO)w, there wasn’t a space for students to hold a discourse about sexual abuse or consent. Christo reflected that the group became that space within the last two semesters. While that was not the original intent, the process helped define k(NO)w’s passions and made clear a direction for the group to move in. This semester is what many students are referring to as the reinvention of the organization or the second debut of k(NO)w in collaboration with other student groups on campus, as well as organizations off-campus.
Within the first founding semester, k(NO)w’s presence quickly became well established on campus. However, after their initial and immediate success, it began to plateau. k(NO)w plans to appeal to a wider spectrum of students, among many other new approaches. One of the many new avenues k(NO)w is going down is appealing to a wider spectrum of students.
Early efforts have already been put forward to collaborate with on campus groups Brothers of Diversity and Black Students Association. Christo said she hopes to start working with Greek groups, athletes and departments to try to reach out to more students on campus who have yet to be involved in k(NO)w’s dialogue and message surrounding sexual respect.
Jacob Danko ’16 spoke briefly about the events that were outlined at the Open House last week. According to Danko, k(NO)w plans on hosting a “Security Fireside Chat where we hope to create a space in which students, security officers and possibly deans who attend, can start a dialogue about the process of reporting cases of sexual assault or sexual harassment.”
The group is currently looking into organizing a panel — or as Christo called it, a “manel” — comprised of male professors and an off campus scholar who would focus on the issues and components of masculinity that fuel rape culture. Danko hopes that “in starting this conversation about masculinity ideals on campus, we can challenge this force that in part supports rape culture.”
The last section of semester events initiative is a peer-to-peer program. k(NO)w hopes to work with student leaders of organized activities and encourage them to support a dialogue about rape culture within the context of their strong social bonds between their peers, said Danko. Christo reflected on how the group’s message can only reach so far when coming from the group itself. The next step needs to come from another, perhaps more removed source than the founding organization but still with the foundational support available in both training and practice.
With a focused eye on activist efforts on campus, the group still welcomes and encourages any students interested in what Christo calls “the betterment of campus” to get involved. Formed on the unearthing of several personal experiences regarding sexual assault, rape and harassment, Danko says the group is ready to act on what they’ve learned, through “a collective action to start hosting events and forums and create a space for this touchy, yet necessary conversation.”