A Peer Educator's Reflection: Sexual Violence Prevention on Campus Today

by Sadie Tuohy

Catharsis Productions Student Advisory Board Co-President

Former Collegiate Peer Educator

In honor of Catharsis Productions’ 25th Anniversary, a survey was shared with thousands of contacts at colleges, universities, and prevention and advocacy non-profits throughout the United States. The purpose of this survey, titled The Evolution of Sexual Violence Prevention Survey was to assess the state of progress in sexual violence prevention, identify effective prevention approaches and practices, recognize persistent challenges hindering progress, distinguish urgent priorities and future strategy, and clarify urgent priorities shaping the future. A comprehensive report of the findings, What Professionals Think About the Evolution of Sexual Violence Prevention, captures the perspectives of sexual violence prevention professionals working across higher education.

Following the release of this report, the Catharsis Productions Student Advisory Board (CPSAB) engaged with the findings through discussion and reflection, producing a companion piece titled Reflections on the Sexual Violence Prevention in Higher Education Survey Through the Lens of Peer Educators. This reflection offers a critical student-centered perspective, grounding the professional data in lived experience and highlighting how prevention efforts are received, interpreted, and enacted within campus communities.

Drawing on my experience as a former collegiate peer educator, this reflection engages with both the professional survey and the Student Advisory Board’s response to offer a perspective shaped by my own involvement in campus prevention and advocacy work, rather than an exhaustive account of all student or professional viewpoints.

As I read through both What Professionals Think About the Evolution of Sexual Violence Prevention and the Reflections on the Sexual Violence Prevention in Higher Education Survey Through the Lens of Peer Educators, I found myself toggling between reflection and recognition. Much of what the data revealed did not surprise me- in fact, it often felt like it was putting words and numbers to experiences I have lived as a student and peer educator. At the same time, seeing these patterns echoed so clearly across generations of preventionists sharpened my understanding of where the field has been, where it is now, and what is at risk if institutions fail to sustain this work.

Seeing Progress Through a Generational Lens

One of the most affirming aspects of both reports was the clear acknowledgement that sexual violence prevention in higher education has changed dramatically over the past twenty-five years. When I think about conversations I have had with my parents or older family members about consent, reporting, or campus resources, the contrast is stark. Many of them describe college environments where sexual violence was rarely discussed, survivor support was limited, and responsibility was often placed on individuals rather than institutions. In comparison, my own college experience was shaped by consistent, intentional, conversations about consent, bystander intervention and accountability- and by an institutional response that matched those values in practice. When I reported an act of sexual violence, my institution did everything in its power to support me, and the office responsible for addressing sexual violence demonstrated a genuine commitment to care, transparency, and follow-through. Beyond their response to me, the department actively worked to reach a wide range of student populations, reinforcing that prevention and support were not limited to a single moment or group.

The professional survey data supports this generational shift, with an overwhelming agreement that students today have a stronger baseline understanding of consent, rape myths, and bystander intervention than in previous decades. As a peer educator, I sometimes find myself wondering whether the work we do truly stays with students after the workshop ends. Seeing professionals with decades of experience describe clear, sustained gains in the student’s understanding over the course of their college experience helped me recognize that peer education plays a meaningful role in reinforcing, deepening, and normalizing prevention concepts over time.

Structural Barriers That Mirror Student Frustrations

Perhaps the most sobering aspect of both reports was the consistency with which limited funding, insufficient staffing, and inconsistent institutional buy-in were named as the greatest barriers to effective prevention. As a student, I have watched prevention offices stretch themselves thin, with one or two staff members tasked with educating entire campuses. I have also seen prevention initiatives gain and lose momentum depending on leadership changes, political climates, or shifting institutional priorities.

Reading professionals describe these same struggles was both validating and disheartening. It suggests that while prevention frameworks have evolved, the systems supporting them have not kept pace. Prevention is still too often treated as a compliance requirement rather than as foundational to student safety, well-being, and retention. The data made clear that without institutional commitment, even the most thoughtful and evidence-based prevention strategies are difficult to sustain.

Digital and Online Harm: Naming What Students Already Feel

One finding that stood out most strongly across both surveys was the near unanimous agreement that digital and online sexual misconduct is an urgent area for expanded prevention. This did not surprise me- in fact, it felt overdue. As students, most of our social and romantic lives unfold through phones and screens. Yet, I have repeatedly seen peers struggle to name behaviors like coercive texting, image-based abuse, digital monitoring, or online harassment as forms of sexual violence.

Both CPSAB members and professionals emphasized how technology has fundamentally reshaped boundaries, consent, and harm. Seeing this reflected so clearly in the data affirmed what I have witnessed in peer education spaces: prevention efforts that focus solely on in-person interactions miss a significant portion of students’ lived experiences.

Holding Hope and Concern at the Same Time

What I appreciated most about both reports is that they do not paint an overly optimistic or overly bleak picture. Instead, they hold progress and uncertainty in tension. Professionals expressed genuine hope in the next generation of preventionists- citing students’ commitment to equity, intersectionality, and survivor centered approaches- while also naming burnout, political pushback, and shrinking resources as threats to the field’s future.

As someone seeking a continued path in prevention and advocacy, this duality resonated deeply. The work feels meaningful precisely because it is unfinished. These reports reminded me that sexual violence prevention is not a single program or policy, but an ongoing cultural project- one that requires sustained investment, institutional courage, and genuine partnership with students.

Ultimately, reading these findings left me with a clearer sense of responsibility. The progress of the past twenty-five years did not happen by accident, and it will not sustain itself without intentional support. The voices captured in both surveys- student and professional alike- make it clear that the path forward is known. The question that remains is whether institutions are willing to follow it.

You can also review:

Reflections on the Sexual Violence Prevention in Higher Education Survey Through the lens of Peer educators: 

It offers a candid, student-centered response to the professional survey findings, grounded in the lived experiences of collegiate peer educators and student leaders across the country. Drawing on both written reflections and collective dialogue, this piece explores where prevention efforts resonate with students, where they fall short, and how structural barriers, institutional constraints, and campus culture shape the effectiveness of prevention in practice. For professionals seeking to better understand how their work is received on the ground- and how student voices can strengthen prevention efforts- this reflection provides critical insight into what students are asking for now and what they believe the field must prioritize next.

Click Here if you would like access to these Reflections or a document containing all student advisory board survey responses.

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