The SGA hosted its sixth town hall on Thursday evening in the Moseley Center allowing students to openly discuss the issue of gender and sexual-based violence on campus. 

The event, moderated by Elon News Network Executive Director Jackie Pascale, Moderated by Elon News Network Executive Director Jackie Pascale, the event was meant to facilitate a discussion regarding issues involving sexual harassment, specifically on Elon's campus, and the role of students involving the solution to those issues.

The town hall was the first event hosted by the incoming student body administration, which was sworn in just a few days after spring break. 

Student Body President and Senior, Morgan Bodenarain said that although there is already a conversation about gender and sexual-based violence on campus, the climate surrounding it is a conversation that the organization wanted to have.

"I think a lot of time we talk about how the administration is responding to these kinds of things, but never how the student body is responding to it," said Bodenarain. "So I hope students get away how the students are feeling about this, and not just how the institution is responding."

Incoming Junior Class Vice President Warren Barrett said that the statistics show that while these issues go largely unreported on college campuses, that he hoped that this discussion provided an environment for students to say what is on their minds. 

"Awareness is always a very important issue on campus," Barrett said. "It definitely can't hurt to have a constructive dialogue about it."

Students expressed concern about the complexity of a card handed out to all of those who attended, which contained several phone numbers with resources for survivors of gender or sexual-based violence. 

"If I were to be sexually assaulted right now, I wouldn't know which number to call," said one student attending the town hall. "If it was one common number that you call, then that eliminates a lot of confusion."

Senior Hannah Clifford, SGA Student Issues Committee member, says the hotlines are in the process of being changed. She did not offer a time of when the change would occur.

SGA Advisor Dean Jana Lynn Patterson closed out the town hall saying that she would reach out to students and staff about making resources available to students that are less complicated.  

If you, or someone you know is or was affected by gender or sexual-based violence, call SAFEline at 336-278-3333 for confidential advocacy.