Every year select club leaders are required to complete a training module entitled “Sexual Prevention for Undergraduate Students.” The program focuses on diminishing instances of sexual assault at Fordham. 

Provided by Vector Solutions, the course is meant to “engage students in developing healthy relationships and prepare them to recognize and respond to sexual assault, harassment, and gender-based violence when it occurs,” according to Vector’s website. It trains leaders not only to know laws surrounding sexual assault but to be able to handle situations they may encounter while engaging with and observing other club members. The course educates those who have committed themselves to serving the student community and holds them and their club members accountable for their actions. 

This program from Vector Solutions, curated specifically towards college communities, focuses on four important aspects of sexual assault prevention. The first is to “engage students in learning about sexual harassment, relationship violence, assault, and stalking.” In order for students to recognize instances of sexual assault, they must first be able to clearly define what such events might look like. This also aids students in recognizing what actions are appropriate in sexual situations and what actions could harm themselves or others. 

The second goal is to “prepare learners with intervention skills.” This teaches students how to safely interfere in situations that they find to be dangerous without aggravating the situation. 

The third goal is to “examine the differences between consent and coercion.” Learning and fully understanding which actions qualify as consent allows individuals to discern when their own actions are appropriate as well as when the behavior of others needs to be interrupted. 

The final goal is to “explore the ways alcohol and other drugs affect an individual’s ability to consent.” This is especially important in a college setting in which substances that may impair judgement are more common.

The program is not new in the state of New York, and is now a requirement for club leaders to complete. The United Student Government Vice President of Operations, Megan Ruzicka, FCRH ’27, provided more detailed knowledge of the training.“[It is] similar to the Residential Life requirement for incoming students,” she said “[as its] completed online through video modules with questions after each section.” 

Every individual who attends Fordham has a different background with unique experiences, but when it comes to sexual assault it is imperative that every person understands boundaries and the lasting impact that harassment can have on other individuals. This training will provide basic knowledge surrounding sexual harassment that all students, particularly student leaders, need to comprehend.

This training is especially important for college-age students, who are exceedingly more likely to experience sexual assault then other age groups, according to RAINN, the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization. 13% of all students experience rape or sexual assault through physical force, violence, or incapacitation and 5.8% of students have experienced stalking since entering college. 

Throughout the university, only club presidents and treasurers are required to undertake the program. According to Ruzicka, this is because “president and treasurer are the two most consistent executive board positions across clubs, so those are the positions that the Office of Student Involvement requires to complete the training.”