Many UW-Madison student organizations partnered to create the Sexual Assault Awareness Month Coalition to coordinate events in April with the goal of focusing student attention on the issue of sexual assault. One of those events, the Sexual Health Dance, takes place Friday.
The Sexual Health Dance will be held in MSC Satellite from 8:30 p.m.-12:00 a.m. Friday and all of the proceeds will be donated to the UW-Madison Rape Crisis Center.
Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment is one of the student organizations working with the SAAM Coalition.
According to Tera Meerkins, PAVE chair, sexual assault is a pervasive issue on college campuses.
Meerkins defines sexual assault as any unwanted sexual contact that encompasses a range of behaviors, including rape, and said, ""The most important aspect in identifying sexual assault is to note whether consent was given.""
""It is estimated that one in four women will experience sexual assault during their time on campus ... and considering its prevalence, everyone knows someone who has been sexually assaulted, regardless of whether the victim has told them,"" Meerkins said.
Additional events planned for this month by the SAAM Coalition include film screenings, a keynote speaker and an ice cream social. Take Back the Night, a march from Library Mall to the Capitol, will conclude the month's events.
With these events, Claire Peterson, chair of the Events Committee for Sexual Assault Awareness Month Coalition, said she hopes to raise student awareness about the prevalence of sexual assault on campus and to curtail further sexual assault through increased communication among students.
""If everyone on campus put even a small effort into educating themselves about the issue and prevalence of sexual assault, the effect on our community could be very beneficial,"" said Peterson. ""Great ways to get involved could include breaking the silence around sexual assault by talking with friends about the issue [or] attending a Sexual Assault Awareness Month event.""
Sexual assault awareness continues beyond April with programs like the peer education program, organized by PAVE. This program tries to educate students on how to understand the definitions of sexual assault and consent, as well as how to support victims of sexual assault.
Meerkins said that every individual is essential in the fight against sexual assault.
""The root causes of sexual assault lie in cultural norms, we are all responsible for changing these norms. It is also important that people are aware of sexual assault, so that they can appropriately support survivors and offer resources,"" Meerkins said.
