The month of April is Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Month, which has sparked many groups on campus to host programming directed at improving the Hamilton community’s engagement in providing support for survivors and preventing cases of sexual assault. The Sexual Misconduct and Assault Reform Team (SMART) held a joint discussion with the Center for Intersectional Feminism (CIF) on Tuesday, April 1 to kick off Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Month. This meeting brought together students from across the Hamilton community, both survivors of sexual assault and those who want to offer their support, and created a safe space for an open discussion concerning the prevention of sexual assault and providing resources for survivors.
This discussion addressed the culture at Hamilton College and how it can influence the experience of survivors on campus, particularly in reference to the visibility of Title IX resources. As Hamilton continues to look for a permanent coordinator for the Title IX program, attendees agreed that having a coordinator who can take the time to fully grasp the campus culture and be someone that students feel familiar with is crucial in bettering the college’s response to cases of sexual assault.
This discussion was led by the Co-Presidents of SMART, Iris Miller-Bottoms ’27 and Daniel Lipson ’25. Miller-Bottoms explained that SMART is “a grassroots organization that is trying to focus on improving the student body, especially in its response to sexual violence and the way that we deal with sexual violence.”
Lipson hopes that this month will raise awareness for the club, saying it “is a good moment to engage new people in these issues, perhaps people who haven’t heard about us or what we do before.” According to Lipson, increased visibility of organizations like SMART on campus will “ensure that people know that there are resources, there’s a community and there are things that can be done.” She said that the events this month “are about creating a kind and responsible community, one that takes care of each other and takes responsibility for each other.”
On Saturday, April 5, SMART hosted LoveFest alongside Band Club, Tumbling After, CIF and Sadove Student Programming. The event took place at Little Pub on campus and included trivia, performances by different student groups and free drink covers and spike tests. While attending LoveFest, students were also given the chance to donate directly to the Young Women’s Christian Organization, which Lipson shared is “the only local organization that provides direct support to survivors or domestic and sexual violence.” As sexual assault is an issue that impacts everyone, not just students here at Hamilton, Lipson said that, “having that connection with the wider community, not just Hamilton resources, is really important to us because we do share responsibility, not just to this campus but to the wider community.”
Upcoming events later this month that SMART is hosting include a spikeball fundraiser tournament on April 26 in collaboration with Greek Life at Hamilton that will also raise money for the YWCA, and denim day on April 31 with Green Apple.
Although April is the official Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Month, SMART members emphasize it is always important to make sure everyone around you is safe from the risk of sexual assault. SMART hosts discussions and events throughout the year including training for members of Greek life at Hamilton and meetings to discuss more ways to make our campus a safer space for everyone. Lipson highlighted another event SMART has held in the past, Love Letters to Survivors, which features a “display in KJ where people could leave notes on a bulletin board showing support for survivors. Even some of them were letters to themselves.” Lipson appreciates this concept because “it’s important to us that this work isn’t all about pain, it’s about community and finding joy even when things get very difficult. And if we can provide a space for that to discuss through that and really support each other, that’s the main goal.”