April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM). http://www.nsvrc.org/saam/about states: “The goal of SAAM is to raise public awareness about sexual violence and to educate communities on how to prevent it.” The Augustana College community shows their support of preventing sexual violence and the victims of it by putting on the event, Take Back the Night. It is sponsored by the Residence Hall Association, Student Government Association, and the Women and Gender Studies department. It is organized by the class WGST201: Women & Change. The event will begin at 8 P.M. on Sunday, April 23rd in the Lower Quad (the rain location is Pepsico).
The theme of Take Back the Night is “Unique in our Experiences, United in our Purpose.” The purpose of the event is to share information about sexual assault prevention and support organizations in the area who work closely with the cause. But most importantly, the event is a time of healing and empowerment for those who have been impacted by sexual assault. Community organizations that will be represented at the event include SafePath, Rick’s House of Hope, Braking Traffic, Milestones Area Agency on Aging, Engaging Males, and Survivors of Homicide and Other Violent Crimes. Campus organizations include SAGA and Order of the Phoenix.
TBTN hopes that through this event, they will be able to foster safe communities and respectful relationships. They seek to end sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual abuse, and all other forms of sexual violence. The event will provide education, support, and resources for survivors or those who want to advocate for survivors. There will be support services at the event for anyone who needs them. The event will be centered around listening, responding, healing and supporting ALL survivors (women, men, LGBTQIA, people from many different racial and ethnic groups, disabled individuals, etc.)
When asked why she thinks this event is so important for our campus, sophomore Meghan Graham said, “I think it is important because I am a survivor advocate. I took 64 hours of training here at Augustana through the Victim Advocacy class. I work with domestic violence and sexual assault survivors. I have become more aware of these things because of the class. Having events like this will give more awareness to sexual assault and violence and help people to recognize these types of situations when they take notice of them in their own lives.”
On Sunday night, there will be time to visit the various informational tables at the event. Following, there will be a program featuring speakers from SAGA, some student suvivors, Dr. Jessica Nodulman from the Communication department, and Kimberly Andresen-Reed from Transformative Healing. Transformative Healing is a services and advocacy organization serving LGBTQIA survivors. To finish off the evening, there will be a guided meditation. Attendants are encouraged to bring blankets to sit on and their own signs. There will be a pledge to sign at the event and ribbons to wear to support the cause. Please contact Teresa Ramont with any concerns or questions about the event (teresaramont13@augustana.edu).
If you are looking for a way to donate to the cause, there will be small LED candles for sale in the Brew this week prior to the event. They will be sold for $1 and the money raised will go to SafePath Survivor Resources. Another way to show your support for the prevention of sexual assault and the protection of its survivors would be to participate in Denim Day on Wednesday, April 26th. You can go to http://denimdayinfo.org/about/ for more information.