April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM), and students across campus are joining together to raise awareness of this important issue. In collaboration with the Division of Student Affairs, IU departments and student organizations will be hosting events all month to engage new voices and ask how will we keep our community safe.
SAAM Events
- Culture of Care is kicking off SAAM with a week-long celebration (April 3-April 7) of what it means to create a culture of care on IU’s campus.
- The IU Health Center’s Sexual Assault Crisis Services will host a poetry open mic on April 7 at 7PM and will sponsor The Clothesline Project April 5-7.
- On April 15, Sigma Lambda Upsilon will host a sexual assault education symposium.
- On April 24 at 6PM, the Residence Hall Association will be hosting an Audrie and Daisy documentary screening followed by a panel discussion at the Whittenberger Auditorium in the IMU.
Everyday Prevention
Creating a culture of care requires a daily commitment from all students, faculty, and staff to stop sexual violence. What will you do to ensure that your friends and classmates are safe? How will your organization act to end sexual violence?
- Remember that persistent and unwelcome contact, sexual activity without consent, yelling, and physical, verbal, emotional, and psychological violence are signs of an unhealthy relationship.
- To help a friend, safely distract them or remove them from a risky situation. If you need help, don’t hesitate to ask a friend for assistance or contact campus resources.
- When you hear sexual harassment or victim-blaming comments, respectfully and safely challenge inappropriate language.
- To help a survivor of violence, listen actively and ask how you can help. Offer to accompany the survivor to seek resources and respect the survivor’s decisions.
Your voice might be the one that stops a potential assault or provides critical healing and support. There is no better time than SAAM to learn to use it!
Learn How To Step Up
The Division of Student Affairs, in collaboration with students and colleagues, helps students learn the skills necessary to intervene in dangerous situations through its ongoing Culture of Care bystander intervention workshops: Step Up! IU and Its On Us: Alcohol and Consent.
About Sexual Assault Awareness Month
In 2001, the National Sexual Violence Resource Center designated April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM). Each year, a new theme is selected to help focus attention on a different aspect of prevention. This year’s theme is “Engaging New Voices”.
The 2017 theme encourages additional players to take part in efforts to prevent sexual violence. It is congruent with the national #ItsOnUs campaign and Indiana University’s Culture of Care initiative, which charges every student to take personal responsibility for the safety of their peers.
For More Information
To take the #ItsOnUs pledge, visit http://itsonus.org/#top
To learn more about Culture of Care Week, “like” Culture of Care on Facebook.
More information about IU’s sexual misconduct policy, resources, and programs is available at http://stopsexualviolence.iu.edu
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