Peers Understanding, Listening, Speaking, Educating (PULSE) is partnering with Family Support Services to raise awareness for Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
“We’re trying to increase awareness to reduce assault and give victims comfort in knowing they’re not alone,” Stephanie Brackett, assistant director of Student Activities and PULSE advisor, said. “Sexual assault happens more often than people think.”
PULSE and Family Support Services has organized events to get students and the community involved while increasing awareness.
One such event, the Human Awareness Ribbon, took place last Friday at Westgate Mall where participants formed a teal-colored ribbon, which signifies the official awareness ribbon of Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
“The ribbon is a way to bring the community together,” Nelly Villagomez, Family Support Services peace project educator, said. “It gives survivors of sexual assault a voice.”On April 24 during lunch, PULSE and Family Support Services will host “Be the One” in the JBK. Be the One is a campaign inspired by non-profit organization One Student, in which students decorate their hands to signify speaking out against sexual assault.
“It gives students the chance to say ‘I’m going to be the one to stand up against sexual assault,’” Brackett said.
Students will also have an opportunity to speak out against sexual assault on video.
“It’s a statement about speaking up and not being silent,” Villagomez said. “Each person makes a personal statement about speaking up and saying ‘I am one person that can make a difference.’”
After the event, the video will be compiled submitted to onestudent.org.
“We want to show that WTAMU students are stepping up and going above and beyond to help others,” Brackett said.
In addition to speaking out against sexual assault, these events will have sexual assault resources available and will also be used as an educational tool, teaching things such as how to be a powerful bystander and how to safely intervene, Brackett said.
“The more aware you are, the more apt you are to avoid these situations,” Villagomez said.
Villagomez said that many think of sexual assault as “strangers jumping out of the bushes,” however most instances of sexual assault are acquaintance-related.
“We want to raise awareness that it can happen even if you’re with a group of friends or on campus,” she said. “You never know when it could happen.”
Director of Police Administration and Victim Assistance Coordinator at the University Police Department, Meri Lyn Odell, said that many sexual assaults happen at parties. She recommends using good judgment, being aware of surroundings, being cautious when consuming alcohol and not going to parties alone or leaving with a stranger.
Odell said that WT commonly sees one or two reports of sexual assault each year, however many go unreported.
“We want reporting the crime to be an option to victims,” she said. “It’s a very private matter and a hard decision to make because reporting it makes it more public. This is a huge factor as to why so many go unreported.”
Both the UPD and Family Support Services provide support to victims who choose to report sexual assault. Villagomez said she feels while many victims stay silent, they need to have a voice by reporting the crime.
“If we don’t give people an opportunity to have a voice, they can get lost in what has happened to them,” she said. “Speaking out helps with healing.”
