Marchers took to the street to rally and show support for victims of sexual violence.

“Take Back the Night,” organized by the Women’s Student Union (WSU), was meant to be an avenue for support for victims and empowerment for allies. A major theme of the march, which included speeches from students and campus organizers, was combating sexual violence through effective consent. Jessica Dunn, a sophomore triple-majoring in sociology, Latin American and Caribbean area studies and Africana studies, led supporters holding signs and chanting slogans from the Peacemaker’s Stage on Court Street to Uncorked Creations on State Street.

“We are trying to promote on our campus and in our local community knowledge about what it means to consent to sex, what it means to be unable to consent and basically we want our campus to be a safe place,” Dunn said.

According to interns from 20:1, a sexual violence prevention program, consent must always be verbal. Lauren Kaufman, one of the interns who spoke, said that other cues, such as body language, can be misinterpreted, and don’t provide adequate consent.

“People say that asking for consent is awkward, but it doesn’t have to be,” said Kaufman, a junior majoring in psychology. “All you need is a ‘Yes.’”

Kaufman recommended asking “Are you comfortable with this?” or “Is this OK?” to students who don’t want to ask “Do I have consent to have sexual intercourse with you?”

Adopted in October of this year, SUNY’s system-wide uniform definition of consent requires that consent is “unambiguous, knowing, informed and voluntary.” It also goes on to say that “Silence or lack of resistance cannot be interpreted as consent.”

After the march Downtown, the crowd gathered at Uncorked Creations to have a “survivor speak out” where men and women shared their experiences with sexual harassment, violence and rape.

“Getting people to share their stories in a supportive environment is one way that you can heal and show people that they are supported,” said Sophie Gamer, the president of WSU and a junior majoring in biology.

Organizers also wanted to address the feeling of injustice that they said many survivors of sexual violence had toward administrators. Deirdre Sullivan, an organizer and the Multicultural Resource Center and intercultural awareness rep for the WSU, said that across the country, universities are not doing enough to help victims because they don’t want crime statistics to deter prospective students.

“It should be about maintaining a safe environment on campus,” said Sullivan, a junior majoring in history.

Maria Chaves, a doctoral candidate studying English, implored attendees not to forget about the victims of sexual violence from minority and underrepresented communities.

“Black trans women are dying everyday,” she said. “Seventy-two percent of them are the victims of violent crimes against the TGLB community. But do we see them in the night? I see them tonight — they are here with us to reminds us who it is that the night hides.”

Sue Danieu, who came from Buffalo to support her daughter Caili, said that she worried about having a daughter in college.

“The statistics are scary,” Danieu said.

She said that women who feel uncomfortable should feel empowered to stand up for themselves.

“If you feel funny, if you think maybe someone is looking at you funny, maybe go talk to the bouncer, it’s OK,” she said. “Better to maybe feel awkward than to have something horrible happen.”