At the beginning of spring term, the University of Oregon President’s Office sent out an email titled, “It’s on us to end sexual assault,” which referenced the start of Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
Interim President Scott Coltrane said in the email that he hopes everyone will take part in one of the many activities on campus throughout April regarding sexual assault awareness such as Take Back the Night and the Men and Allies United event.
These events were created through a collaborative process, said Jessica Sarontay, sexual violence prevention and education GTF. Based on student recommendations, Sarontay and Kerry Frazee, director of sexual violence prevention and education, were able to set-up events that would appeal to the widest variety of students.
“We were looking at making sure that our events were getting into spaces where otherwise this stuff may not be talked about but is certainly necessary,” Sarontay said.
The month kicked off with the Ducks Do Something “It’s on Us” video challenge where student groups on campus made videos to show what they are doing to end sexual violence, which Frazee said was one of the highest attended events over the month.
Alex Chang, a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity put their fraternities “It’s on Us” video together.
“As fraternity men, we wanted to actively bring about sustainable change to the problem,” Chang said. “The video is just a visual representation of what we will hold ourselves accountable to.”
Frazee and Sarontay also scheduled events that revolved around self-defense, understanding post-traumatic stress disorder, navigating the legal system as a survivor and they dedicated this past week as being Sexual Violence Prevention week.
“Its been successful for students to see that our campus is taking such an initiative with this and knowing that it isn’t a forgotten topic,” Frazee said. “We are doing something to prevent this, to bring awareness, and to really create a safer community.”
This was the first time Frazee and Sarontay worked together on this type of awareness campaign, so they’re learning what more they can do in the future. Frazee said that at this point in the term there’s a high-academic focus, so high prevention initiatives at the end of the term is not as effective as when students come back in the fall, so they will be spending their time working on the initiatives for summer and fall.
“I do know that Alpha Chi Omega is doing walk a mile in her shoes event,” Frazee said. “But May is really us gearing up for how we are welcoming new students-Introducktion, Week of Welcome and what fall term will look like when everyone comes back.”
Reflecting on the events, Frazee admits there’s always room for improvement: “If we’re ever at a place where we’re not then we should be checking ourselves.”
A Sexual Assault Awareness Month debrief session will be held May 1 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Wesley Center and both the Duck’s softball and baseball teams will be dedicating their games to sexual violence prevention.