Â鶹ÊÓƵ recognizes Sexual Assault Awareness Month in April
April 25, 2022 | by Natalie Frels-Busby
Rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment harm our community, and statistics show one in five women and one in 67 men will be raped at some point in their lives.
In the United States, April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, or SAAM. Â鶹ÊÓƵ is working to do its part to raise public awareness about sexual violence and educate communities on how to prevent it.
“Sexual Assault awareness and prevention efforts are vital for our campus community and its safety. Events such as these promote awareness, while also challenging students to learn more about how they can contribute to a safe campus community especially regarding sexual assault,” said Marie Murray, assistant director of Health Education at Â鶹ÊÓƵ. “It also is valuable in providing information so that students know how and when they can step up in a situation to prevent potential sexual assault, or support someone they know who has been assaulted.”
Â鶹ÊÓƵ recognized SAAM by holding several events held this month:
• Stand Up Against Sexual Assault – Wednesday, April 6
Individuals were encouraged to stop by the Setzer Student Center and grab your “Stand Up Against Sexual Violence” pin to wear around campus and the community.
• Walk a Mile in Her Shoes – Tuesday, April 12
Since 2001, men, women and their families around the world have joined award-winning Walk a Mile in Her Shoes: The International Men's March to Stop Rape, Sexual Assault & Gender Violence. To get people listening, learning and talking, Walk a Mile in Her Shoes events feature men literally walking in women's high-heeled shoes. It's a dramatic opportunity to raise awareness in our community about the serious causes, effects, and remediations to men's sexualized violence. For more information, visit .
• Campus Day of Action: Wear Teal! – Tuesday, April 19
Individuals wore teal, the color of sexual assault prevention, to promote Sexual Assault Awareness Month and shared selfies or group photo online using the hashtags #SAAM2022, #IASK, #SAAMSafeOnlineSpaces.
“This year, our Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event was the largest we’ve hosted over the years. We had a great mix of students, with our Greek life organizations really showing up to participate. We even had one staff member from rec sports participate as well. A total of 36 students participated in the walk, while we had numerous other individuals who while they couldn’t participate in the physical walk still engaged in talking with us about the walk and its purpose,” Murray said, adding that each event has a different goal.
“Our first event focuses on getting students to think about sexual assault awareness and building the foundation for the month. We hand out buttons for the community to wear to promote standing up against sexual assault," she noted. "Walk a Mile in Her Shoes is our big event that focuses on actual student participation (as well as faculty or staff who may want to join). The goal here is to provide a fun way for us to engage students in the topic of sexual assault and male violence against women by literally having men wear high heels and walk in women’s shoes. Our Day of Action and Denim Day events focus on bringing more awareness. Denim Day is especially important because of the message behind it and why it started.”
According to its , the campaign began after a ruling by the Italian Supreme Court where a rape conviction was overturned because the justices felt that since the victim was wearing tight jeans, she must have helped the person who sexually assaulted her remove her jeans, thereby implying consent. The following day, the women in the Italian Parliament came to work wearing jeans in solidarity with the victim.
Everyone is invited to participate in the final event, Denim Day, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 27, held in the atrium in the Setzer Student Center.
Organizers ask that all Â鶹ÊÓƵ community members wear denim with a purpose. Show it off at the Health Education table in the SSC and a Denim Day keychain will be waiting for you. Denim Day is about the community showing support for survivors and educating ourselves and others about all forms of sexual violence.
For more information about SAAM, visit Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s Health Education website.
In the United States, April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, or SAAM. Â鶹ÊÓƵ is working to do its part to raise public awareness about sexual violence and educate communities on how to prevent it.
“Sexual Assault awareness and prevention efforts are vital for our campus community and its safety. Events such as these promote awareness, while also challenging students to learn more about how they can contribute to a safe campus community especially regarding sexual assault,” said Marie Murray, assistant director of Health Education at Â鶹ÊÓƵ. “It also is valuable in providing information so that students know how and when they can step up in a situation to prevent potential sexual assault, or support someone they know who has been assaulted.”
Â鶹ÊÓƵ recognized SAAM by holding several events held this month:
• Stand Up Against Sexual Assault – Wednesday, April 6
Individuals were encouraged to stop by the Setzer Student Center and grab your “Stand Up Against Sexual Violence” pin to wear around campus and the community.
• Walk a Mile in Her Shoes – Tuesday, April 12
Since 2001, men, women and their families around the world have joined award-winning Walk a Mile in Her Shoes: The International Men's March to Stop Rape, Sexual Assault & Gender Violence. To get people listening, learning and talking, Walk a Mile in Her Shoes events feature men literally walking in women's high-heeled shoes. It's a dramatic opportunity to raise awareness in our community about the serious causes, effects, and remediations to men's sexualized violence. For more information, visit .
• Campus Day of Action: Wear Teal! – Tuesday, April 19
Individuals wore teal, the color of sexual assault prevention, to promote Sexual Assault Awareness Month and shared selfies or group photo online using the hashtags #SAAM2022, #IASK, #SAAMSafeOnlineSpaces.
“This year, our Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event was the largest we’ve hosted over the years. We had a great mix of students, with our Greek life organizations really showing up to participate. We even had one staff member from rec sports participate as well. A total of 36 students participated in the walk, while we had numerous other individuals who while they couldn’t participate in the physical walk still engaged in talking with us about the walk and its purpose,” Murray said, adding that each event has a different goal.
“Our first event focuses on getting students to think about sexual assault awareness and building the foundation for the month. We hand out buttons for the community to wear to promote standing up against sexual assault," she noted. "Walk a Mile in Her Shoes is our big event that focuses on actual student participation (as well as faculty or staff who may want to join). The goal here is to provide a fun way for us to engage students in the topic of sexual assault and male violence against women by literally having men wear high heels and walk in women’s shoes. Our Day of Action and Denim Day events focus on bringing more awareness. Denim Day is especially important because of the message behind it and why it started.”
According to its , the campaign began after a ruling by the Italian Supreme Court where a rape conviction was overturned because the justices felt that since the victim was wearing tight jeans, she must have helped the person who sexually assaulted her remove her jeans, thereby implying consent. The following day, the women in the Italian Parliament came to work wearing jeans in solidarity with the victim.
Everyone is invited to participate in the final event, Denim Day, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 27, held in the atrium in the Setzer Student Center.
Organizers ask that all Â鶹ÊÓƵ community members wear denim with a purpose. Show it off at the Health Education table in the SSC and a Denim Day keychain will be waiting for you. Denim Day is about the community showing support for survivors and educating ourselves and others about all forms of sexual violence.
For more information about SAAM, visit Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s Health Education website.