Wilson Student Brings the Message of No More to Campus The spotlight on sexual violence and domestic abuse had grown white-hot by the fall of 2014, with the national debate focusing on college campuses amid reports of high-profile sexual assaults in the media. Wilson College officials were already taking a hard look at the training and outreach information available to students and asked: How can we start a real conversation about these issues on campus? Enter Nicole Melanson ’15, resident assistant and member of the field hockey team, who provided the idea to bring No More, a national public awareness campaign on domestic and sexual violence, to the Wilson campus in a very visual way. At the beginning of the fall semester, Wilson Assistant Dean of Students Katie Kough reached out to Melanson, a work-study student in the student development office. The challenge: reboot the College’s outreach on sexual and domestic violence. “I was reviewing our [information] on sexual assault and I thought it was a little dated, so I asked Nicole if she could find something that was more relevant,” Kough said. “She came back to us and said, ’I want to pitch you an idea.’” Melanson had discovered the No More campaign, which aims to help end the stigma, shame and silence of domestic violence and sexual assault. The No More movement features a highly visible, interactive social media presence coupled with an advertising program that features hundreds of celebrities and sports figures. The movement’s website also includes a primer for college campuses that want to get involved in the public awareness campaign. “What I really did not want to happen was what often happens when [information is] put into students’ mailboxes—everyone takes it out, looks at it and then, in most cases, it goes right into the recycle bin,” said Melanson, an equine-facilitated therapeutics major. “I wanted to do something that would stay with everyone, something that they couldn’t just toss away.” Dean of Students Mary Beth Williams said the student perspective was needed to revamp the College’s approach to the issues. “She found it. I wouldn’t have,” Williams said. ”What really spoke to me about this campaign is that it is not gender-based, it’s not based on sexual orientation, it speaks about all types of domestic violence and sexual assault, and it really reaches out to a broad audience.” Some studies show that as many as one in five students may be assaulted during their time at college, according to Kough. “We want students to know that sexual assault is not ’just college behavior.’ We want them to know that a culture of violence is never acceptable and will never be tolerated at Wilson,” Kough said. “We want them to speak up if they witness an abusive act.” With Wilson’s increasing enrollment and broadening demographic, it’s even more important to create a healthy culture and heighten awareness of these issues, Kough said. Melanson began her Wilson campaign by putting up scores of No More posters in residence halls and common areas. “I noticed a lot of students would gather around to read the posters, so I think it did start them talking.” One of the key facets of the campaign is to encourage bystanders who witness or are aware of violence to speak up, Melanson noted. In early November, she hosted a table in Lenfest Commons with a counselor from the Chambersburg Women In Need (WIN) program and volunteers Molly McElroy ’17 and Lily Rembold ’17. “We tried to make it an interactive discussion with the students who stopped by about how domestic violence and sexual assault can be prevented,” said the WIN prevention educator who participated that day. During finals week, Melanson created a display that encouraged students to take a stand by posting their photo on the No More website with a message against domestic and sexual violence. College faculty and staff also joined in. During the annual employee holiday luncheon in December, supplies were collected for WIN in connection with the No More campaign. But Melanson doesn’t intend to stop with the end of the fall semester. She plans to continue the campaign into spring and hopes to organize either a discussion group or a workshop on domestic and sexual violence. Melanson’s commitment to the campaign does not surprise Williams. “She’s very passionate about the topic,” Williams said. “I couldn’t be prouder.” Her work with the No More campaign has only underscored her belief that domestic and sexual violence has to be everyone’s concern, Melanson said. “A lot of people react to this issue as if it only concerns a very small population, that it’s not something that should concern them—and hopefully this can help them to realize that this affects everyone, no matter where you’re from or how much money you have,” Melanson said. “And if talking about it and understanding the issue can help victims, if you can extend understanding and compassion to them to help them feel safer, then this campaign is a good starting point for that conversation.”