Sexual Assault Support Services responds to an average of 12 victims per day, but agency staff estimate they only hear about 25 to 30 percent of all the assaults that occur in the community.
Assaults that are reported are often attacks by strangers, like the recent attacks by an unknown man on female students on campus. More common
— and less publicized — are assaults by someone the victim knows.
“In about 85 percent of the assaults, the perpetrator is known to the victim,” said Michelle Edwards of Sexual Assault Support Services.
Student groups will work to end sexual violence, both seen and unseen, this week as part of University Sexual Assault Awareness Week.
“It’s not OK that rape and other forms of sexual violence continue to persist,” Edwards said. “And until (sexual
violence) d oesn’t happen anymore we need to call attention to it and bring it out into the open.”
SASS, a community-based group partially funded by student fees, is one of a number of groups involved with the awareness event. The week will include the annual Take Back the Night rally and march as well as several new programs initiated by students.
“This year, we seem to have a lot more student organizations involved,” said Sheryl Eyster, assistant dean of Student Life. “Most of the organizations came to us and said, ‘Is there anything we can do?’”
Throughout the week, Greek chapters and students living in the residence halls will hang lavender banners on their houses and in their windows as a display of solidarity against sexual assault.
Today through Wednesday, Alphi Phi Omega, a service fraternity, will hand out free buttons and whistles in the EMU and ask students to sign a personal pledge against sexual violence.
Project Saferide will hold a forum today about safety issues. SASS will sponsor two support groups for women who have experienced sexual violence and a self-defense workshop for women, one today and one Wednesday. The Buzz will host an open poetry night today for people to speak out about sexual violence.
On Tuesday, the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer Alliance will sponsor a self-defense workshop for gay, bisexual and transgender men, and the Men’s Center Planning Team will host a men’s discussion of sexual violence issues.
On Wednesday, the new, student-operated Sexual Wellness Advocacy Team, which will educate student groups about sexual assault, will make its debut presentation on campus.
The week’s events conclude Thursday with a march against sexual violence. Take Back the Night, a worldwide event that has been held at the University since 1978, will begin with a rally in the EMU Amphitheater featuring community speakers and music by national reggae artist Norma Fraser.
During the march, women who may feel unsafe walking alone after dark can walk the streets in confidence with hundreds of allies, said Lori Brown, Women’s Center office coordinator.
“For a lot of people who attend the march, it’s an extremely empowering experience,” she said.
The event also shows the community how many people are actively working to end violence on campus, she added.
The march will end downtown at Eighth Avenue and Oak Street with performances by local artists, including the Young Women’s Theater Collective. There will also be a “speak-out,” and survivors of sexual assault will have the opportunity to share their stories.
While the event is for women, men are encouraged to come, Brown said.
“What we would like to see is that women are at the front of the march, and then there is a space for men and women,” she said.
Throughout the day on Thursday, the Clothesline Project of Lane County, sponsored by SASS, will be on display in the EMU. The project features T-shirt art by survivors of sexual assault, abuse and violence — and their supporters. SASS will provide free shirts and supplies on Thursday for people who want to contribute to the project.
Despite increased education about sexual violence, misconceptions about blaming the person who was attacked still persist, Edwards said.
Raising awareness “is all part of a process,” and it takes time to achieve, she said. One of the most rewarding parts of her job is seeing how increased awareness benefits the survivors of sexual violence, she said.
“They feel heard, and they also don’t feel alone,” she said.
For more information about Sexual Assault Awareness Week, contact the Office of Student Life at 346-3216.