By now, most have probably heard of the two sexual assaults last weekend in Ogg Hall. Upon hearing of the assaults, you may have felt scared, angry, surprised or shocked, but I have a feeling that some students felt relieved. Relieved because they knew they were not alone, that at least two other students had the same experience as them.
You see, sexual assault is a crime that affects more students than you can even begin to imagine. Statistics tell us that one in eight UW-Madison undergraduate women will be victims of a sexual assault by the time they graduate. This means that there is a good chance that more than two people were sexually assaulted this past weekend, or on any given weekend.
Although the majority of sexual assaults go unreported, it does not lessen the hurt felt by victims, their families, friends and the larger campus community. Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment, an organization whose mission is to raise awareness and support victims, knows many sexual assault survivors on this campus. It's time for students to step up and challenge the status quo that allows sexual assaults to occur in the first place. Find your voice and join us in the fight to end sexual assault. PAVE provides a place for survivors and others affected by sexual violence to turn hurt into anger and activism.
Let's create real changes on this campus!
