Program: Master of Social Work
If you've been in a restroom on Case Western Reserve's campus this year, you've probably noticed the posters that read "It's On CWRU to Disrupt the Culture of Violence." Those are thanks, in part, to the efforts of Emily Saxon, who graduated in May with a Master of Social Work degree.
“These are issues deeply rooted in our societal norms, which means they take a collective cultural shift to truly make change,” she said. “Each and every one of us has a responsibility to help increase gender equity and reduce sexual violence.”
As part of her field education experience at the Flora Stone Mather Center for Women, Saxon realized confronting gender equity and sexual violence required a cultural change.
The university had long displayed posters about gender-based violence in campus bathrooms noting that resources were available to help students, but Saxon felt they didn’t provide many details. Saxon redesigned the poster to display a substantial list of people and organizations from the university and community available if help was needed.
“Creating the design took a lot of time, but in the end, it was fairly simple,” she said. “I didn’t initially think much about the possible impact, other than the fact that it would be a source of pride to see my work across the university.”
The design has resonated with the campus community and visitors. Since the posters were hung, Saxon received many emails and phone calls from people expressing their appreciation or wanting to know how she created the design so they could replicate it for their work.
“I never expected such success, but I think it’s representative of how you can have a strong impact when you make something comprehensive but clear and accessible,” she said.
Learn more about disrupting a culture of violence by following @itsoncwru on Instagram.