Uncensored U The Sex Ed Podcast, Season 3 Episode 5 Part 2 w/ Gowry Kaliyiluvila Rajesh

This episode continues the conversation with Gowry, focusing on the hands-on prevention and consent education happening on campus. The discussion covers bystander intervention, consent education, healthy relationships, and how student-facing programming is shaped by what students are actually asking and struggling with.Gowry also shares what Reach Day looks like, how first-year students are introduced to safety and support, and why events like Consent Week, Sexual Health Week, and Take Back the Night matter for building a healthier campus culture.

Key topics

• In this episode, Gowry explains Reach Day, a first-year training initiative built around bystander intervention, healthy socializing, and community support.
• She shares that the first eight weeks in post-secondary are a red zone for sexual violence because students are navigating a new environment, new expectations, and new social dynamics.
• The team reached about 900 students across 18 Reach Day sessions, introducing the basics of bystander intervention and campus support options.
• Gowry highlights a common misconception students have, which is that support is only available if they formally report. Part of the work is showing that students can access care without filing a formal report.
• The conversation breaks down the Waves of Change program, including a basic module and an advanced module that explores power, privilege, and scenario-based intervention practice.
• Gowry says student leaders and athletes often do not realize how much influence they have until they work through the advanced training.
• The episode previews Consent Week, including residence outreach, a movie night, Take Back the Night, and Healing Blooms, a reflection and connection event in the Hub.
• Sexual Health Week is also in development, with student educators creating activities that include red flag and green flag conversations around relationships.
• Gowry describes how the Love Me or Love Me Not activity helps students identify relationship behaviors that are healthy, unhealthy, or worth discussing further.
• The discussion closes with advice for students new to relationships: boundary setting is not selfishness, and communicating a disagreement can actually make a relationship healthier.

Key frameworks

• Waves of Change
  • A prevention and education model with a foundational module and a more advanced module focused on power, privilege, and real-world scenarios.
• Bystander intervention
  • Students learn how to notice potential harm, step in safely, and support someone who may be at risk.
• Enthusiastic consent
  • Consent is framed as clear, active yes, with attention to verbal and nonverbal cues, body language, and the ability to stop or change course at any time.

Notable quotes

• "If you want to have like a healthy relationship, you should have a better boundary setting."
• "Pleasure is like an underrated concept."
• "You can still access the support and you can still have that support in health and counseling."