OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Mississippi is observing 2014 Sexual Assault Awareness Month with several activities designed to raise public understanding about the problem of sexual violence and to educate participants on how to prevent sexual assault and rape.
Events include Take Back the Night, set for April 22. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. in the Lyceum Circle. Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Brandi Hephner LaBanc, a representative from Verizon Foundation and others will lead a march to honor survivors of sexual violence. A candlelight vigil allowing students, faculty and staff to share their stories immediately follows.
“Sexual Assault Awareness Month is an important acknowledgement of the impact of sexual victimization upon the lives of women and men,” said Lindsey Bartlett, violence prevention coordinator. “Such public acknowledgement is a key component toward demystifying the private shame associated with this phenomenon, which, in effect, serves as a venue of support for those who may suffer in silence.”
Other SAAM activities include a film screening and discussion, personal safety tips from University Police Department officers, Jeans for Justice, a white ribbon campaign and clothesline project.
The National Sexual Violence Resource Center has designated April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month. This year’s SAAM campaign focuses on preventing sexual violence on higher education campuses. College students experience disproportionately high rates of sexual violence, and national statistics indicate that one in five college women will be a victim of sexual assault by the time she graduates.
“Sexual assault is an undeniable fact on our campus, as it is at all colleges and universities,” said Susan Grayzel, director of the UM Sarah Isom Center for Women and Gender Studies. “Through the events that highlight this issue during April, all members of our community gain an opportunity to understand more fully the needs of victims and survivors and to take individual and collective responsibility for recognizing and preventing sexual violence.”
For more information on SAAM, go to http://www.nsvrc.org/saam. For more information on the Clothesline Project, go to http://www.clotheslineproject.org/. For more information on the Violence Prevention Office, contact Lindsey Bartlett at 662-915-1059 or bartlett@olemiss.edu.
And for more information on the university’s SAAM events, go to http://sarahisomcenter.org/april-2014-sexual-assault-awareness-month-activities/.