Sexual Assault Awareness Month continues

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Throughout this month, the Dane County Community is coming together to learn about sexual violence while supporting and celebrating survivors.

A listing of free campus and community events follows. For more information or a complete list, visit http://uwpave.rso.wisc.edu/ or http://www.danecountyrcc.org/news/index.php?category_id=4316

• Big Read Discussion on the book “Laid”: 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 13, located at 333 East Campus Mall in room 4210 Student Activity Center. Discussions will focus on selections from the book and how they pertain to the experience of survivors, supporting survivors, and primary prevention efforts.

• SAAM Vigil/Service: 11:30a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, April 14 at Meriter Hospital Chapel located at 202 S. Park Street, Madison. Vigil will honor survivors of sexual assault.
• Dance/Benefit for Rape Crisis Center: 8:30p.m.-midnight Friday, April 16. The dance will be held at the UW MSC Satellite. Sex Out Loud’s Sexual Health Week finale will be in conjunction with PAVE and the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity to benefit the Rape Crisis Center of Dane County. There will be a $5 donation at the door and 100 percent of the proceeds will benefit the Rape Crisis Center.
• National Day of Action: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday, April 20, located on Library Mall. A variety of campus, community, and student organizations will be tabling on Library mall to show their support for SAAM, as well as to inform students about the campus and community resources available to them. There will be slips of paper for people to sign, pledging their commitment to do whatever they can to end sexual assault.
• Viewing of Documentary “Rape Is…”: 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, April 20, located in the Red Gym — Multicultural Student Center (2nd floor). Few are likely to dispute that a sexual attack by a stranger is an act of rape, but what about the far more common acts of sexual violence committed by relatives, dates, boyfriends or customers of the sex trades? This documentary explores these issues, focusing on the price that survivors of these acts pay, not only in physical pain but in loss of trust, the guilt, confusion, and the destruction of self-esteem.
• Keynote Speaker Jessica Valenti: 6:45 p.m. Thursday, April 22, located at the Pyle Center in Rooms 325/326, 716 Langdon Street. Jessica Valenti is a feminist writer and blogger. She is the founder and editor of the popular blog and online community Feministing.com. She will speak about the issues surrounding sexual assault on college campuses including alcohol, rape culture, barriers to reporting, etc. and ways in which we can all be empowered to make our campuses a safer place to live.
• Big Red Discussion #2 on the book “Laid”: 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 26 at located at 333 East Campus Mall in the UW Student Activity Center Multipurpose Room. Discussions will focus on selections from the book and how they pertain to the experience of survivors, supporting survivors, and primary prevention efforts.
• Take Back the Night: 7p.m. Thursday, April 29, beginning at Library Mall on the UW–Madison Campus.
 A broad-based community event that will focus on violence in traditionally marginalized communities. It will include a march to the state capitol, speakers, a candlelight vigil and speak-out.