Prevention Must Be Part of the Conversation

by VALOR
on September 29, 2026

Recent allegations of sexual assault connected to Cornell’s Chi Phi fraternity chapter are deeply disturbing. What has emerged is not only a story about sexual violence, but also about the people, norms, organizations, and institutions around it. 

Much of the national conversation has rightly focused on supporting survivors and holding people and institutions accountable. Both are essential. But what happened before the alleged sexual assaults occurred? 

Those dynamics are not unique to one fraternity or one campus. Horrific cases of abuse and institutional failure have emerged across nearly every part of society, including K-12 schools and higher education, athletics, workplaces, faith communities, families, and more. They exist anywhere people are influenced by the expectations of a group, by who holds power, and by what happens when someone harms someone else. While supporting survivors and holding people accountable are critical parts of addressing sexual violence, prevention means building communities where harm is less likely to happen in the first place.

All members of a community help shape the environments they are part of, including what we tolerate, what we challenge, and how we respond when concerns are raised. All of these instances send a message. Organizations and institutions carry an especially significant responsibility because they help shape those environments.

Policies are important, but so are community and institutional culture. People pay attention to what leaders take seriously and what gets overlooked, unaddressed, or ignored.

Most people agree that sexual violence is unacceptable. Prevention pushes us further: have we built environments where that belief is reflected in how we act?  

No one person or organization can prevent sexual violence alone. Prevention depends on communities, institutions, and systems investing in the conditions where people feel connected and supported, harmful behavior is challenged, and safety is built into the way people live and work together.

For the last 20 years, PreventConnect has grown a community of thousands of people invested in preventing sexual violence. They have participated in research, implemented prevention initiatives, evaluated strategies, and are poised to make a difference in communities across the country. 

It’s easy to condemn harm. What’s missing is the willingness to make financial investments and policy change to prevent sexual violence.

You can find prevention resources on PreventConnect and on the VALOR website.