One Night for One Love

By Meghan Cericola

Head Men's Basketball Coach Aaron Galletta first heard about the One Love movement from his players. At the movement's Boston Gala, Galletta and Director of Legal Affairs and Title IX Coordinator Jennifer OKeeffe shared the College's process in implementing One Love's Escalation workshops on campus.

The event, held at the Liberty Hotel in Boston, celebrated a year of important milestones for the One Love Foundation, which included the increased presence of its workshops on college campuses. Galletta and OKeeffe were invited to speak to cast a "bright light on the work being doing on the Lasell campus," and to "feature the work of its amazing student leaders," according to Susie Chase, executive director of the One Love Foundation.  

At Lasell, the One Love movement has provided the foundation for a number of campus initiatives aimed at combatting sexual violence. The men's basketball team participated in an Escalationworkshop and worked with Galletta to become campus leaders against unhealthy community behaviors. OKeeffe and Assistant Professor Karin Raye used this momentum to involve the entire campus in eradicating issues of sexual misconduct and relationship abuse, and worked with the athletic department, campus counselors, faculty, and Lasell's police force to make members more aware of abuse and its warning signs using Escalation.  

Founded in 2010, One Love's mission is to end relationship abuse by educating people about relationship behaviors and empowering them to be leaders in their communities. One Love celebrates and honors the spirit and kindness of Yeardley Love, a victim of relationship abuse. More than 185,000 people have participated in Escalation workshops and nearly 85 million have viewed the #ThatsNotLove campaign on social media.