By Ashley Brickner, Arts & Entertainment Editor
Susquehanna University welcomes On the Same Page, a new book club hosted by the Violence Intervention and Prevention (VIP) Center in collaboration with the Blough Weis Library. The club seeks to foster a variety of conversations concerning the month’s over-arching theme. The club meets on the last Sunday of each month, and their next meeting will take place on Sunday, March 24 at 7 p.m. in the VIP Center. At their upcoming meeting, the club will discuss several suggested texts and other sources related to Women’s History month. Before the end of the semester, the club will gather again on April 28 to discuss materials related to Sexual Assault Awareness.
Stefani Leonard, a member of the class of 2024, founded the club earlier this year. Alongside her co-collaborator Lisa Yarnell, a member of the class of 2025, they decided to partner with the VIP Center to invite students to utilize the center’s resources.
Wynn Phillips, the director of Violence Prevention, stated that the VIP center hopes this collaboration will invite students to utilize the space more often. Phillips stated, “This [the collaboration] will hopefully break the common misconception that the VIP Center is only a place people go if something bad happens to them.” Therefore, by hosting their club in partnership with the VIP Center, Leonard and Yarnell hope to foster an inclusive and welcoming environment for all students.
Leonard and Yarnell further integrate their goal of inclusion and accessibility by welcoming various multimedia sources and diverging conversations. While the club’s goal is to stimulate enriching conversations related to the month’s theme, the club also encourages students to deviate from the suggested readings to share outside media sources or even conversations related to their unfinished schoolwork. Leonard stated, “I wanted to give students a place to hang out and divulge in conversation about anything ranging from our current political climate to what homework they still need to complete for tomorrow.” Stefani further clarified that the club cannot function without its members, so they hope that welcoming an accessible and open-minded environment will benefit participating students.
Through insightful conversations, the club strives to bolster conversations that some might find uncomfortable or difficult to discuss. Leonard explained, “Just because a conversation is difficult, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have it — this is a message I hope to implement through our club and dialogue. As we are only in the early stages of development, the most I can hope for now is that our messages reach those across campus who want this space of inclusivity, dialogue, and political and emotional stimulation.”
While On the Same Page is still in its infancy, Leonard hopes to see a larger executive board elected soon. She also proposed hosting guest speakers during their monthly meetings. When asked about future collaborations with other on-campus organizations, Leonard said she hopes the future executive board can make those arrangements, but currently, that plan is not feasible. The club’s current goal is to attract more students to their meetings and work-out difficulties they have encountered. Yet, the club plans to host more events, educational seminars, and guest lectures within the upcoming semester.
On the Same Page looks forward to seeing any interested students at their next meeting. Leonard stated that they will have printed copies of “The Yellow Wallpaper” for attendees to read and discuss over snacks. Yet, as previously reiterated, they encourage students to bring outside media sources to share with the group.
With this new addition to campus, the current executive members and VIP staff hope to carve out a space for students to foster inclusive and evocative dialogue.
