Student groups at the University of Oregon have tabbed inclusion as a top priority as many are working together to participate in Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
“We are recognizing this month because so many people have been harmed, there are so many people whose voices weren’t heard and whose voices who weren’t respected,” said Kerry Frazee, the UOs director of sexual assault prevention. “It really becomes a community effort to raise awareness to recognize that harm and to be motivated for change.”
Frazee said that the efforts to plan this month have been going on since winter 2016, and this year has been one of the most successful. With the help of Frazee’s graduate teaching fellow, Eric Braman, the team has secured over 30 groups to partner with.
“What I really wanted to help people understand is that no matter what their organization is, they have the ability to contribute to the cause in a really meaningful way,” Braman said. “The greater diversity of voices we have contributing to the month, the greater inclusion and representation we have in that month.”
One of the participating groups is the ASUO Women’s Center, which is co-sponsoring three of the month’s events.
Michele De La Cruz, sexual violence prevention and education coordinator at the women’s center, said that this month is beneficial for all to participate in because everyone has been impacted by sexual assault in one way or another.
“Sexual violence really does affect everyone whether people realize it or not. Statistically someone will know someone one who has been affected,” Cruz said. “Because it’s so prevalent on campus, this month is the opportunity for people to show support to survivors and gain awareness.”
Recently, the UO has seen multiple instances of sexual assault, making now a crucial time for the issue locally.
“I think every day we are given an opportunity and a reminder that we need to take this issue seriously and every day we are given a reminder that we have to treat people with respect,” Frazee said. “Sometimes incidents can spur that on, but the goal for all of us is to continue moving forward, to continue learning and to continue treating people with respect. We need to be inviting our communities to the same and calling people out when they don’t.”
Cruz said she wants people to know that there is university-wide action trying to better the culture surrounding sexual assault.
“Because of the media attention of the negative things that have been going on, I worry that students think that it’s all bad,” Cruz said. “I want them to know there are a lot of people working at the university who are doing good for this issue.”
In the end, the groups said their goal for this month is to make lasting changes to the way UO understands sexual assault.
Braman said he hopes to have a campus that is more educated on bystander intervention, speaks up when problematic conversations occur and supports people who have been impacted — creating a “culture of care.”