One in four women will be sexually assaulted before they graduate, according to the Association of American Universities. Additionally, one in 16 college men will be sexually assaulted.
Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) is April. Clemson’s Office of Access and Equity is working with the SAAM Planning Committee to promote the month on campus.
The Office of Access and Equity “monitors the University’s compliance with all federal, state and University policies related to equitable treatment and unlawful discrimination,” according to its website. Megan Fallon, Interpersonal Violence Prevention Coordinator, said the SAAM Planning Committee is a collaborative effort of faculty, staff and students to raise awareness about sexual assault.
“The SAAM Planning Committee will be tabling throughout the month with ribbons, buttons and other items,” Fallon said.
Several events will take place over the month of April.
The Take Back the Night (TBTN) walk will occur on April 7. The TBTN campaign began when women from all over the world assembled to talk about the safety of women while walking on public streets “[d]ecades ago in Europe,” according to takebackthenight.org. TBNT supporters marched in 1973 to protest pornography in San Francisco and the serial murders of women of color in Los Angeles. They marched in Philadelphia in 1975 following the brutal stabbing and murder of microbiologist Susan Alexander Speeth while she was walking home at night.
“Since the 1970s in the United States, TBTN has focused on eliminating sexual and domestic violence in all forms,” the website said. “Thousands of colleges, domestic violence shelters and rape crisis centers have held events all over the country.”
The march starts at 7 p.m. Those who want to participate can meet at the Horseshoe near Wendy’s.
“The Hunting Ground” will be screened in McKissick Theatre by CLEMSONLiVE on April 8. The film is a documentary about how colleges handle sexual assaults on campus.
“Scrutinizing the gamut of elite ivies, state universities and small colleges, filmmakers Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering reveal an endemic system of institutional cover-ups, rationalizations, victim-blaming and denial that creates perfect storm conditions for predators to prey with impunity,” according to thehuntinggroundfilm.com.
Ticketing for “The Hunting Ground” begins at 7 p.m., and the movie starts at 8 p.m. Free popcorn and drinks will be provided.
Fraternity and Sorority Life will host male sexual assault survivor Tim Mousseau on April 11. According to an article by Rachel Wagner on thecaptainslog.org, Mousseau didn’t know he was assaulted in college until two years after the incident. He received anonymous letters for two years about personal life events before a letter with photos was sent to him.
“Inside the envelope were pictures of me being sexually assaulted,” Mousseau said in the article. “I had no memory of it,” he said. The limpness of his body indicated to Mousseau that he was probably drugged.
According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC), one in 71 men will be raped in their lifetime. Additionally, “one in six boys will be sexually abused before they turn 18 years old.”
Mousseau now writes and speaks across the country about being a male sexual assault survivor and the associated stigma. Mousseau will be speaking in Tillman Auditorium starting at 7:30 p.m.
Fallon said that students can also participate in the campaign by wearing denim on April 20.
“Denim Day was created to protest the idea that victims are assaulted based on what they wear,” Fallon said. Victim-blaming via fashion choices is one of several rape myths to be debunked, according to Women Against Violence Against Women (WAVAW).
Fallon also encouraged students to “[h]elp spread the word and post on social media about the events.” Students can use #SAAM.
Undergraduate student body President-elect Joey Wilson is on the SAAM Planning Committee.
“The main objective is to promote the It’s On Us Movement, which means educating students about consent and being active bystanders, telling students about on and off campus resources and creating a more supportive campus environment for survivors,” Wilson said.
For more information, contact Interpersonal Violence Prevention Coordinator Megan Fallon at [email protected].