We affirm and actively support every survivor’s right to seek justice and healing for themselves in the way that they choose. The work we do is always centered in the needs and experiences of survivors themselves.

We recognize that sexual and dating violence are manifestations of systemic gender oppression, which cannot be separated from all other forms of oppression, including but not limited to imperialism, racism, classism, homophobia, transphobia, and ableism. The experiences of survivors are shaped by their individual identities and these connected systems of oppression. We also recognize that institutions play a central role in enabling these systems of violence and oppression.

We recognize that people of all identities, including but not limited to those based on race, gender, and sexuality, can experience and be impacted by sexual and dating violence. We strive to challenge narrow and inaccurate representations of what assault, violence, and survivorship look like. We also acknowledge that these forms of violence disproportionately affect people of color, women, and transgender and gender nonconforming people. With this understanding, we work to ensure inclusive policies and accessible resources in schools and beyond.

We affirm direct action as a tactic to challenge the silencing of survivors and pressure power-holders to support survivors and carry the weight of gender violence. Direct action can help expose the violence normalized by our institutions and larger society.

We seek to foster transparency around issues of sexual and dating violence because we believe that a bottom-up approach to building power is the only way to achieve justice and hold our schools accountable.

We support campus-based adjudication of sexual and dating violence cases as a non-carceral alternative to the criminal legal system, which does not work to support or protect many communities, and strenuously oppose efforts to make reporting to law enforcement the only option for student survivors of sexual and dating violence.

We recognize that public conversations around sexual and dating violence often focus on white, straight-presenting, and cisgender female survivors. With this understanding, we work to amplify the voices and support the work of groups often marginalized within these conversations.

We practice democratic decision making and an organizational structure that does not reinforce or replicate oppressive systems of power. We recognize that survivors and student activists on the ground are the experts on their own needs on campus, and center student and survivor leadership in setting the goals and strategies of the campaign.

We believe that ending sexual and dating violence on college campuses is a pivotal part of making higher education accessible for all students—and part of the broader struggle for education justice.

We recognize that surveillance, incarceration, imperialism, and ideologies of normalcy are tools of state dominance, and we recall the (continuing) histories of the state’s co-optation of progressive movements’ practices and goals. We aim to resist and reject the violence of the state in and through our work. We believe no one is disposable and also affirm the importance of holding individuals accountable for the harm they cause.

We seek to create regional and national communities of activists who share these values and will work together to address sexual and dating violence on our campuses.