Creating the It’s Okay Campaign with Josh Kroker

StFX is a university known for its partying, even having been named as “Canada’s top party school” in a Macleans article from 2017. Intrinsic to Xaverian culture is “Wing Night” at the Inn or a night out at Piper’s. But how does this impact students? Many people new to the university may feel overwhelmed and pressured to keep up with others. This is especially true in residences for first year students new to the school who may never have been exposed to anything like this before. There are a few alternatives for students who want to spend a night in, but this doesn’t change the pressure they may feel from peers. This is where the It’s Okay Campaign comes in. The Campaign was created by Josh Kroker, and I had the chance to sit down with him to learn more about the future of the project. Kroker is a second-year student in the Public Policy and Governance program. He is heavily involved in the StFX Student’s Union, having been the first-year rep last year, and a representative on the Board of Governors this year. 

The campaign’s goal is to combat toxic culture on campus surrounding drugs, sex, and alcohol. It acknowledges the pressure students feel to engage in activities with which they may not be completely comfortable. Kroker emphasized how, instead of telling students what not to do, the campaign aims to change mindsets and let students know that it’s okay to take a night off. When asked if the campaign provides alternate option for students, Kroker said he “hope[s] to work with the Keep it Social Ambassador and with Res Life to get some activities going and to future grow the movement.” The campaign doesn’t tell students that it is bad to drink or to go out for a night at the Inn, but instead lets students know it’s okay to take part in other activities instead—that “it’s okay to just meet up and go for a walk and call it quits and do your homework.” The inspiration for the creation of the It’s Okay Campaign came from Kroker’s own experiences in his first year. He mentioned how “a lot of the time I felt like I didn’t take a night off, and I didn’t live a sustainable life in order to keep in balance my academics, my social life, my extracurriculars, and I got really tired and really sick part-way through.” He reflects how his experience likely isn’t unique to him. Many students feel as if this partying lifestyle is the only way they can get to know and fit in with others. Having a healthy outlet, and knowing that it’s okay to take that out, is invaluable.

Kroker further mentioned working with the Student Council, Res Life, and the department under Elizabeth Yeo, the head of student services at StFX. He also explained that he reached out to community leaders back in his hometown of Lethbridge, Alberta. He has gotten insight from many people eager to help grow a healthy community and is ready to get it up and running.

Currently, Kroker said he is focused on a poster campaign to further spread word about the program. Over 70 posters will be put up around campus residences, including the Somers and Power Hall apartments. He mentions that the campaign is still “in its infancy,” but he hopes to continue to help it grow. The original plan was to see the launch of the program happen before homecoming. Unfortunately, this timeline did not work out, but Kroker spoke about how he is trying to get it started by X-Ring or the week students return from Christmas break.

When asked about the future of the program, Kroker said they were starting with small goals. Right now, the focus is getting the posters up around campus, as well as getting into different activities with Keep It Social and Flourish at X. He spoke of how this is a long-term process, not a short little “fix”. Eventually Kroker said he hopes “to spread this around to different universities.” He further mentioned that he wanted to get connected with Students Nova Scotia, and from there, launch the program to “Students Alberta, Students Ontario and we can grow this even more.”

This is, of course, the long-term goal. Presently, the focus is the launch at StFX and growing the campaign from the ground up. The hope of the movement is to make students feel less pressure to have sex or consume alcohol and drugs. It has a lot of support from various groups on campus and a passionate creator paving the way. StFX has a strong party culture, and only time will tell of the promising potential of the It’s Okay Campaign.