The Harbor, an office on the lower level of the Jean Student Center, is a dedicated safe space for survivors of sexual and domestic violence. Besides offering resources, support, and community for those who need it, the Harbor also has a series of violence prevention efforts planned for the spring 2023 semester.

Nicole Kipphut from the Harbor, the College’s main Violence Prevention Education Specialist, said that the Harbor exists thanks to a grant from the federal Office on Violence Against Women. She said, “As a result of receiving the OVW Campus Program funding, SAC was able to open The Harbor back in 2018 and support the prevention work being done. The Harbor is the campus hub for violence prevention and a safe space for victim-survivors to seek support, resources, and connect.”

Regarding her own position, Kipphut said, “As the primary Violence Prevention Education Specialist on campus, I help to provide the education around sexual assault/domestic violence/stalking, what the resources are, healthy relationships, and what my role is as a confidential resources on campus. For the prevention piece, I rely on the support and engagement of students, faculty and staff—I cannot do it alone.”
She added that the Harbor will host approximately 30 interns, service learners, and volunteers this semester – three times the number of volunteers hosted in the fall 2022 semester. Kipphut expressed her excitement at this, saying that “it was amazing to see first-hand how 10 of us were able to work together on numerous prevention events, so I’m really excited to see how 30 of us can work together and the change that can be made across campus!”  

The 30 service leaders, interns, and volunteers split into smaller groups that then work on various programs focused on violence prevention, workshops, campaigns, Sexual Assault Awareness month, and other TBD projects. “Stay tuned,” said Kipphut. 

The already planned programming for the semester begins the week of Valentine’s Day. On Feb. 13th the Harbor and the YWCA will be hosting an event focused on education surrounding healthy relationships. Two days later on Feb. 15 the Harbor will partner with Residential Life on Anselmian Check-In Day, hosting a table in the Jean Student Center with more education and empowerment regarding healthy relationships. 

In March, the Harbor will team up with the YWCA again to launch a Survivor Support Group on campus. The group will be held every other Wednesday and will be run by a YWCA outreach and education advocate as well as Kipphut, who said, “It will provide victim-survivors a safe space to connect and share their experience with others who have been through similar experiences.” 

April is Sexual Assault Awareness month. The theme this year is “Drawing Connections: Prevention Demands Equity.” The campaign’s goal is to build racial equity by advocating for change on both an individual and systemic level. The Harbor will be running events throughout the month focusing on this theme. 

On April 19 the Harbor will be joined by the gender studies department, the YWCA, and the Crisis Center of Central NH to hold a discussion of 2014 documentary “It Happened Here.” “It Happened Here” tells the stories of five women who had experienced sexual assault on college campuses.   

Kipphut said, “The film talks with each women about their journey, how the school managed their sexual assault disclosure, and how the women use their experience as a catalyst for change and take a stand against their perpetrators and those who did not believe them (and blamed them). It’s a powerful film about misconceptions, rape culture, suffering, resilience and justice.” 

Later in the semester, the Make Your Move Campaign (specified in the OVW grant) will be held, another violence prevention initiative. Kipphut said, “We are working on getting a list of students, faculty, staff, athletes, coaches, etc. to create a campaign that is diverse and engages students in violence prevention.”

“Bringing in the Bystander” trainings will be held throughout the semester, and Kipphut describes the goal of these as being “to introduce students to how they can be prosocial bystanders in instances of sexual violence and relationship violence. The research-based program focuses on using your unique set of skills to intervene in way that de-escalates the situation and in a way that is safe.” 

Kipphut says that the Harbor will “apply for another continuation of the [OVW] grant this year with the goal of strengthening prevention efforts on campus and creating a campus culture that has a zero tolerance for gender-based violence.” Students can get involved this semester by simply contacting Kipphut at the Harbor.