By Grace Tesoro, Staff Writer
Students discussed and shared their thoughts on the dating phrase “We’re Just Talking” at the first installment of the Navigating Relationships series on Sept. 19, hosted by the Violence, Intervention and Prevention Center.
The VIP Center provided a free-flowing and nonjudgmental environment for students to have casual and natural conversations with one another. The center also provided a high level of privacy for students that decided to delve into more confidential information.
In the session, students were encouraged to ask their own questions that they had regarding how to maintain healthy relationships, either romantic or platonic. This created an open, honest dialogue where students had the opportunity to participate and give advice or anecdotal accounts of their own experiences.
“One of the things that I think is a really important way that we can prevent violence is feeling more comfortable having conversations around our values, what is important to us and communicating boundaries,” Christiana Paradis, program coordinator of the office on violence against women stated.
Paradis sat in with students during the hour-long session, but only as a listener to the students.
“I’m present if I need to jump in, but I mostly have a role where I sit back. I think it’s very important to have a student-driven space,” she said.
When creating the series, Paradis worked alongside senior Deon Robinson.
During the process, Robinson remarked, “We realized we needed a place where students can come and talk about these things as opposed to an adult lecturing them. When we made Navigating Relationships, we were looking for something in which students come and are able to talk to one another in a confidential space and ask for advice.”
Last year, the VIP Center’s Navigating Relationship series had partnered with other Susquehanna organizations on campus.
“We have collaborated with GSA [Gender Sexuality and Alliance] before to discuss coming out in a relationship. We’ve also collaborated with Jewish Life and Better Together for a discussion on interfaith dating,” Paradis said.
According to Paradis, the student-driven aspect of the Navigating Relationships series is vital in providing an outlet for students to openly communicate with one another and create deeper connections with their peers.
“I think it is really good bringing students together, some students that have a lot of questions and some that have had experiences similar to the questions being asked. This gives them an opportunity to create a community and create a space to feel like they can come and ask those questions,” Paradis said.
The next session of the series, “Dealing with Conflict,” will be held in October and hosted in the VIP Center. This event will cover what conflict looks like in all types of relationships and how students can combat conflict and cope with it in a healthy manner. All students are all welcome to attend these sessions.
