Meet our girl crush, Megan Ganning!
Class Year: 2018
Hometown: Morristown, NJ
Major: Economics, Environmental Studies, Spanish
Your favorite…
Class at Bucknell: I’m such a nerd and I’m struggling with this one. After a tough process of elimination I’d say it’s a tie between Food and The Environment with Ben Marsh and Political Economy with Nina Banks. Highly recommend both.
Spot on campus: 7th Street Cafe <3 or the music building @offbeats
Place you’ve traveled: Valparaíso, Chile/Patagonia, Chile
Restaurant on Market Street: I won’t even try to pretend it’s not Amami <3 @chicken gorgy club
Song: You can’t be asking me these kinds of things! Okay so between Hoy by Gepe Cuando Voy al Trabajo by Victor Jara, Azul by Nano Stern, Rise Up by Andra Day, Cherry Wine by Hozier, The Lime Tree by Trevor Hall, More Than Anyone by Gavin DeGraw, Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley, Fire and Rain by James Taylor, What A Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong, Somewhere Only We Know by Keane, Better Together by Jack Johnson, I’ll cut myself off here but I have a lot of love for a lot of music.
Movie: Frequency, Shawshank Redemption, Remember The Titans, It’s A Wonderful Life Book: To Kill A Mockingbird or I am Malala, I wish I had more time to read, I have a to-read list that’s pages long Food: Nachos, Pirate’s Booty, Cheerios, Phish Food Ice Cream
More about Take Back the Night:
What is your role with Speak UP? With Take Back the Night?
I am a Speak UP Student Coordinator, which means that I am a leader within the organization, and I plan all of our events and run a student committee alongside the hilarious and amazing Chloe Reynolds. Our biggest event of the year is Take Back the Night, which just happened last Thursday, October 26. It was really impactful and so successful because so many Bucknellians came out to support.
What does Take Back the Night mean to you?
Take Back the Night is an incredible event that makes the issue of sexual violence real for people on this campus. Hearing our brave peers and allies speak at this event is heartbreaking and inspiring every year. Personally, it always leaves me feeling more motivated than ever to continue this fight. It is a night where victim survivors can feel supported and loved, and know they are not alone. To me, Take Back the Night gives a voice and a power back to those who have had a piece of them taken away. Each year, more and more people have come, rain or shine, and that has given me hope that we are taking steps towards a campus where no one has to live in fear and where the entire community works together to prevent these crimes from happening.
What do you hope people will take away from this event?
I hope people take away that the issues of sexual assault, relationship violence and stalking on this campus are real and affecting our friends and our peers, and that these matters are not only important, but also urgent. I hope people gained an understanding of how victim-survivors are impacted after traumatic experiences. I believe that people were moved by the survivors’ stories and inspired to take action themselves.
What can Bucknellians do to create a more consent-positive campus culture?
Creating a more consent-positive campus culture can be as simple as starting the conversation – that is, talking to other people about problematic things that we see on campus and in the world that perpetuate a culture where victims are blamed and silenced and perpetrators are excused and defended. It is as easy as hearing a rape joke or offensive comment, and saying at the very least, “not cool.” Saying anything at all and not letting it go unaddressed is critical. Recognizing the signs if someone is incapacitated or unable to give their consent is absolutely vital in ensuring that people can trust their peers and be safe. If someone is stumbling, slurring their words or showing that they are too drunk, take it upon yourself to help them and take care of them. Lastly and most importantly, Bucknellians need to learn to get comfortable with talking about sex in a healthy way. Asking if you can kiss someone, or hold their hand, or if they want to have sex, is not weird or dorky or awkward, it’s absolutely necessary (and bonus – it’s cute and a turn on for most people… Google it). We need to ask our partners for their okay in every sexual act and receive an enthusiastic yes. Check in on your partner, and read their body language and respect their answer. If you’re having sex, you should be able to talk about it.
What other Speak UP events can Bucknellians get involved in if TBTN had an impact on them?
Speak UP is always planning events for Bucknellians to get involved in. No More Month is October, when we have the Clothesline Project and Take Back The Night. If students want to get involved in other Speak UP events, we have Sex Week the week of Valentine’s Day in February, which will be full of events, workshops and lectures about sex positivity, consent, healthy relationships and more, so look out for that, it will be amazing! Also, every year in April we have the Red Flag Campaign, where members of the Bucknell community are invited to write warning signs of unhealthy or abusive relationships, or “red flags” that are publicly displayed on the lawn outside of the LC. It is a great way to show support of victims of relationship violence, and spread consciousness of signs we should all look out for in order to help those in these dangerous situations. Additionally, anyone on campus can sign up for our Ally Program (which used to be offered only to the Greek community, something we changed this year), in which students meet once per week for seven weeks to discuss rape culture in society, unhealthy sexual attitudes, bystander intervention, actions we can take to make our campus a safer place, and more. These workshops are available in both fall and spring semesters. We offer a Healthy Relationships, Dating Violence and Stalking Workshop, a Supporting a Survivor 101 Workshop, and a Speaking UP in Everyday Life Workshop which can be requested at any time for anyone interested.
As a senior, do you have any advice for underclassmen (about anything)?
Get involved in things you love on campus and devote yourself to it. If you love to joke, join a comedy group on campus. If you love to sing, join an a cappella group. If you love a sport, start an intramural team. I have met so many people by being involved and it has made this campus feel more like home because I am surrounded by friends with all kinds of interests. If you take classes you are passionate about and get involved in activities you care about, it won’t feel like work or obligations, it will be fun and the time will fly. When I look back on my last three years, the one thing I would tell my first-year self is not to spread myself too thin and to take care of myself by making time to relax with my friends, watch a movie every once in awhile, go to yoga, maybe even sleep more than four hours a night. Enjoy yourself, surround yourself with people who make you happy and take advantage of every minute.