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by MARY ELIZABETH ROBERTSON
Intern Lifestyles Reporter
“My childhood is gone forever. I cannot take back the physical suffering of my emotional body from the sexualized violence I did not invite, I cannot take back the lived lifetimes, it seems, of depression and debilitating anxiety,” Mariam Willis, communication professor said at last year’s Take Back the Night event.
Willis is one of six women who on average report being victims of attempted or completed rape. This number does not include all who are victims of sexual assault, but only those who report the crime, according to rainn.org.
Out of the approximately 8,803 female students of Appalachian State University female students, a quarter may experience sexual assault in some form.
“The CDC
says that an estimated 20 to 25 percent of college women experience
sexual assault. That’s one in four women who are in college will
encounter sexual assault.” Claire I. Williams, shelter case manager for
Opposing Abuse with Services, Information, and Shelter, Inc. (OASIS)
said.
This reoccurring situation across college campuses has led to the development of Sexual Awareness Month during April.
This month long awareness campaign includes many programs and activities to get college students involved.
Today,
the Clothesline Project will take place on Sanford Mall from 10 a.m. to
2 p.m., and is for “anyone and everyone looking to express their
feelings about sexual assault by decorating a t-shirt,” Williams said.
On April 8, the Take Back the Night will take place at Duck Pond field at 7 p.m.
Students and faculty will march in remembrance and respect for those who have been sexually assaulted.
At 8 p.m. at Rankin Science Complex, speakers will deliver thoughts from their own experiences with sexual assault.
Willis will be speaking at this year’s event.
“I’m a
survivor of a childhood of sexual assault,” she said “…The event is a
great venue to dispel the silence and isolation that surrounds
survivors of sexual assault and abuse.”
At this year’s event, Willis hopes to make clear the importance of the assault and the importance of personal boundaries.
“If a
young woman has been assaulted, not necessarily raped, it’s important
for her to leave a paper trail. A paper trail enables isolation of a
perpetrator,” she said. “It is especially important for young women to
have boundaries and to listen to their gut instinct. It is okay to
aggressively say no. We shouldn’t be friends with everyone or let
everyone into our space. Even if sometimes that aggressive no needs to
be said to our family.”
On April 21, the Dragonfly Theater & Pub will show a film about sexual assault titled “Searching for Angela Shelton.”
The documentary examines how women across the nation are victims of rape, sexual assault or domestic abuse.
April 22 is Denim Day in which all students are encouraged to wear denim.
This is to show support for a 1992 Italian rape victim.
After
getting in the car with her driving instructor for her first lesson,
the instructor pulled off the road and pulled off one leg of the girl’s
jeans.
He threatened to kill her if she tells anyone, yet she did.
After being convicted of rape, the driving instructor appeals the case.
The case eventually gets tried before the Italian Supreme Court and is overturned, according to demindayinla.org.
The
chief judge ruled “because the victim wore very, very tight jeans, she
had to help him remove them and by removing the jeans it was no longer
rape but consensual sex.”
The Teal Ribbon Campaign occur throughout the month.
Students in support of sexual assault victims are encouraged to wear a teal ribbon, found in Plemmons Student Union.
Chi Alpha Omega Christian Fraternity is hosting a cash raffle to benefit OASIS.
A dollar will get students a raffle ticket and teal ribbon.
At the end of the day, half the money raised will go to OASIS, while the other half goes to the winner of the raffle.
Sophomore public relations major, Jessica M. Langevin, is a volunteer with OASIS through her career and non-profit class.
“I think
it’s really important for our campus men to stand up if they see
something going on. 80 percent of assault and rape happen in a room of
a male friend, it’s someone the victim knows and in a familiar place.”
The month is designed to start communication about sexual assasult and preventive measures.
“This
month is a time that has been set aside for everyone in the community
to pause and acknowledge the issue of sexual assault,” Williams said.
“We hope it’ll get people talking about the issues.”
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