Hannah Gunter looks to expand sexual assault awareness efforts

For this year’s sexual assault awareness month, Elmhurst University’s Hannah Gunter hopes to “create a foundation of understanding” within the campus community through initiatives such as a traveling information booth. 

With an increase in the availability of federal funding for the university going toward sexual violence prevention programs, Gunter is organizing efforts that raise awareness not just in April, but throughout the year. 

“The grant right now is developing some new initiatives to campus that haven't really been there before, at least, not with the same sort of dedicated effort,” noted Gunter. 

Gunter, the coordinator of sexual and interpersonal violence prevention (SIVP), is connecting with students to begin campus-wide conversations. “Students are really eager to hear some things and have certain conversations,” she remarked. 

Often, Gunter prepares workshops for student groups and encourages individuals to share information with their social circles. “I think it's good for students to hear from people other than just myself, but also a really great opportunity for students to be having these conversations with their peers,” she said. 

Lectures and events orchestrated on a large scale are beneficial because they reach a wider audience, though Gunter believes that conversations centered on SIVP are best facilitated within tight-knit communities. “If students are already tapped into a group, they feel more comfortable to attend and be more open and have a larger discussion,” she said. 

Student-led organizations are recruited by Gunter’s office to aid with awareness events, which includes posting flyers on campus. Recently, students tied teal ribbons around trees to bring attention to resources available through the university for victims of sexual violence. 

The pandemic and remote learning have stressed the importance of furthering communication through social media for Gunter. For instance, the student involvement office is promoting Gunter’s events through their Instagram account (@eu_osi). 

“My thought was to do these different things, to see if we can get some more social media engagement,” shared Gunter. 

When Gunter first joined the university in February 2020, concentrated efforts around SIVP had yet to be developed. Now, Gunter is utilizing feedback to determine concerns shared amongst students and faculty members. “It’s just tricky because we are launching new things. It's really just figuring out what works the best.”

Title IX training administered to the university population differs from SIVP, according to Gunter. Rather than offering services that respond to incidents of sexual assault, Gunter introduces measures that can be enacted to prevent violent occurrences in the first place. 

“So I'm talking more about what does consent look like? How do you communicate in a healthy or an unhealthy relationship? Things like that, instead of how do you respond and support a survivor or investigate afterwards?” she said. 

While Gunter is involved with garnering interest on campus, she is similarly working on forming partnerships with local establishments, including the YMCA of Chicago, Metra Family Services, and numerous LGBT-focused organizations. 

“This has been sort of a longer term effort for the institution beyond my role to feel more integrated with the Elmhurst community instead of being so siloed with just the university,” stated Gunter.