Dear Editor,

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Sexual assault is something that has impacted the Greek community here at the University, with instances of rape being rarely reported and many more going unreported on campus. We, the student body, can come together to help prevent sexual violence from happening in our community. One in five women and one in 71 men are victims of sexual assault, but our whole campus is impacted by sexual violence.

The individual impacts of sexual assault are more easily understood than the impacts of this violent crime on communities and campuses. Sexual assault creates unwarranted fear, anger and disbelief in the community. Students that once went to a party alone now fear going to them at all. In addition to the impacts sexual violence has on campus, it can also generate additional expenses for mental health and crisis services. 

Preventing all sexual violence seems like a very huge task and may sometimes seem impossible. And while it is a very huge task, it is not impossible. The University is already taking steps as an institution to raise awareness, like the implementation of the WE CARE program, but we as a student body need to do more. 

We need to work together to promote more safety, respect and accountability with each other. We need to work together to advocate for honest and effective reporting of sexual violence by the University administration.

This all can start with students on campus by challenging people that are victim blaming and believing survivors when they tell their stories and disclose their trauma. Students can build and model supportive relationships with their classmates, call out harmful and disrespectful attitudes and challenge the stigma that is the societal acceptance of rape on campuses. 

Prevention is possible, even on our beautiful, large campus. It is time that we step up and become an even stronger student body by working together to prevent and end sexual violence here.

[email protected]

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