The ASUO Women’s Center posted 2,850 red flags in the Memorial Quad on Monday to represent the number of women at the University of Oregon who will experience a sexual assault or attempted sexual assault this year. It is part of the Center’s Red Zone campaign that refers to the first six weeks of fall term — a time when women are most likely to experience a sexual assault.
Lisa Oland, sexual violence prevention and education coordinator at the ASUO Women’s Center, said that the red flags are just the start of a larger campaign.
“We have a three-pronged approach,” she said, “first we post the flags. Then we are going to have Jaclyn Friedman come and speak to the University on November 14. Then we’re going to have campus bars put out coasters with messages that encourage potential sexual attackers to seek help. Our hope is that it will act as a deterrent for assaults, and serve as a means of education.”
Jaclyn Friedman@@http://www.jaclynfriedman.com/@@ is a celebrated feminist writer and activist. She will be speaking on Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. in LLC.
The Women’s Center posts the flags twice a year to bring awareness of sexual assault on campus.