My first year at Hamline I got involved with Students Preventing Sexual Violence (SPSV) as a first-year representative then took over as President my second year. The mission of SPSV is "SPSV is committed to heightening Hamline University’s awareness of the realities of sexual and domestic/dating violence through the conception and implementation of programming on campus and in the community. Moreover, SPSV is determined to actively work to eradicate the prevalence of sexual violence through its work. This mission is based on its members’ fervent belief in the humanity of all people, which leads them to insist that no individual of any sex, gender, sexual orientation, ability, age, race, ethnicity or religion is ever deserving of having such an act committed against him or her; nor is any individual ever entitled to committing an act of sexual violence against another individual."
Through Students Preventing Sexual Violence, I found my community on campus and I learned the importance of social change through the collective. I could not have put on the programing we did without the help of each member on my Executive Board and will forever be grateful for the work each member of my executive board put in.
As SPSV President, I learned a lot about my leadership style and my personal development. I specifically learned the importance of delegating work. It not only helps promote working together, but it also shed light on how one person cannot do the work of five and we were a lot stronger together. I also learned clear communication and collaboration. Even though within each position there was hierarchy, I would not make decsions without making sure each voice was heard on the executive board.
With my position as SPSV President, I would work a lot with people who had positions within the higher institution of Hamline. This taught me how to navigate through institutions and how to influence social change more on the institutional level.
Highlighted in the Sexual Violence Awareness and Other Events tabs are some of the events that as an organization, we organized.