As Waynesburg University students walked up the stairs of Miller Hall on April 11, they passed multiple small paper bags filled with plastic flickering candles. These bags, decorated with inspirational phrases in magenta marker, led the way to the university’s seventh-annual Take Back the Night ceremony. Take Back the Night, which is hosted by Waynesburg’s Peer Education, is an event dedicated to informing the student body about sexual assault and rape. The event on campus, which started at 4:30 p.m., started with a brief introduction from the student Peer Educators. One of these students included Renee Belisky, a senior psychology major and co-leader of the event. She explained how the Take Back the Night event is not original to the campus, and was actually started in Europe, as a form of protest.

“This is bigger much than Waynesburg,” said Belisky.

Following introductions, the students leading the event each gave a brief overview on the multiple facets of sexual assault, including victimization, reporting and warning signs. Another Peer Educator who participated in the event was Josh Sneeringer, a business management major. Although it was his first year participating in the event, he said the event’s impact was immediate.

“I thought it was really powerful,” said Sneeringer. “I definitely feel strongly about it.”

One portion of the event, known as “You Are Not Alone,” is considered by Sneeringer and many others as the most heart-wrenching part of the program. During this part of the event, a few of the leaders stepped up to the podium and shared their personal stories of sexual assault. After those who had planned to share their stories finished up, Belisky approached the podium to ask if anyone from the audience felt led to share their own stories. According to her, this is something the Peer Educators have tried to do each year to encourage awareness and to promote openness among victims. And after a few beats of silence, two students stepped up to share their own stories as the room full of students listened, captivated. Following the testimonies, Belisky concluded the session by showing a video and telling those in attendance to write words of encouragement to sexual assault survivors on Post-it notes. These notes were stuck to large poster boards. According to Sneeringer, events like Take Back the Night are crucial to have on campus. As someone who knows people who have experienced sexual assault, he recognizes the importance of a support system.

“I hate when people feel like they’re alone,” said Sneeringer. “It doesn’t matter who you are—come talk to me. Come talk to the other Peer Educators. You have a shoulder to lean on here.”