Thinking for yourself | LEAD@HVCC: Mediate and keep safe
Rich Decker
Staff Writer
Students at Hudson Valley discussed sexual harassment and organizing yourself with meditation at the last two LEAD@HVCC seminars.
On March 5, Dr. Sandra J. McCarthy, Deputy Title IX Coordinator at Hudson Valley and Public Safety Officer Terry Buchanan addressed students at the workshop with conversations surrounding sexual harassment around the country.
“Sexual harassment and violence is something we are hearing more and more about,” McCarthy said. “But, these aren’t new problems. They are age-old.”
Discussing the introduction of Title IX protection, McCarthy explained the New York State Uniform Definition of Affirmative Consent is defined as “knowing, voluntary and mutual decision among all participants to engage in sexual activity.”
In addition to the uniform definition, the law, named “Enough is Enough,” also creates a statewide amnesty policy. This ensures that students reporting incidents of sexual assault are granted immunity for certain campus policy violations, such as drug and alcohol abuse.
While the law is admittedly complex, the support for women in Title IX is clear. “When women are victims of sexual assault or harassment, it puts women at a disadvantage in education,” McCarthy stated.
McCarthy also talked about confidential resources in the event of a sexual harassment incident or domestic assault.
“Even if you don’t want to tell anybody, these are people you can talk to and they cannot say anything, to anyone, without your consent,” McCarthy said.
These resources can be found in the Siek Campus Center and include the college’s Counseling Services in Room 260 and Campus Ministry in Suite 220. Health services also offers assistance and is located in Suite 270.
The week after, LEAD@HVCC helped students organize themselves during the chaos of midterms. Campus Chaplain Michelle Thivierge of the Campus Ministry lead the discussion about what it means to be mindful and how to properly meditate.
Thivierge began the discussion by asking students if they had participated in meditation or walks. Most students said they had taken the initial step to download an app on their phones but never actually used it.
“Mindfulness is about having a cluttered mind and allowing that business and our thoughts to be put on pause so we can collect ourselves,” Thivierge said.
The first part of mindfulness, says Thivierge, is the slowing of our experiences.
“How do we draw into each experience more clearly?” Thivierge asked.
A mindfulness practice, she says, would be taking the fifteen minutes to enjoy our lunch.
“Have a meaningful conversation while doing that,” Thivierge said. “[In] that slowing down of that moment, we become centered. It’s not one more thing we just shoveled through in our day.”
Weekly Mindfulness Meditations, held by Thivierge, are in the Wellness Center from 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. every Wednesday.