Sexual assault prevention work expands
University Health Services, in partnership with Dane County, has launched the second phase of a student-developed campaign designed to help prevent sexual assault on campus.
A new “I Have the Courage, We Have the Power to Stop Sexual Assault,” poster began going up on buses and around campus last week. The poster emphasizes that sexual assault is not just a women’s issue, but one that affects everyone on campus.
Men are an important part of the prevention effort, says Austin King, of Men Opposing Sexual Assault, who is featured in the ad. The group’s goal is to educate men on sexual violence and to promote gender equality.
“All of us can help play a role in ending sexual violence. As men, we have a special role to play,” he says. “Overwhelmingly, it is men that perpetrate and facilitate this crime, so it is incumbent upon us to take an active part in its elimination.”
In addition, the Dean of Students office, in conjunction with University Communications, Madison’s Rape Crisis Center, UHS and Chamberlain Research Consltants, has launched a campus-wide survey to gauge prevalence of and attitudes on sexual assault. Approximately 5,000 undergraduates will be asked to respond on an anonymous and voluntary basis. Results from the survey will guide future prevention and intervention efforts.
Under the tagline “We Have the Power,” the new poster features men who are advocates for a safer campus and lists the organizations to which they belong. Four UW men are featured:
- Jaime Gamez, of MOSA.
- Kene Okocha, a house fellow in Sellery Residence Hall.
- King, also of MOSA.
- John Rakowski of SAFE Nighttime Services. SAFE Nighttime Services are the university’s comprehensive late night transportation system, available to students, faculty, staff and university guests.
Another campus group, PAVE, will be featured in an upcoming poster due out in April. PAVE (Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment) promotes awareness about sexual violence through a variety of activities such as sponsoring outside speakers on the issue and creating space for people to talk about their direct and indirect experiences. The group will hold an organizational meeting at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 12 in the Pyle Center.
The final poster features Gamez and Angela Rose, a sexual assault survivor who heads PAVE. That poster carries the message that men and women are working together in prevention programs.
The entire three-phase campaign was developed by UW–Madison students in a class on public relations. The first poster in the series points out that 1 in 8 female undergrads are sexually assaulted during their UW–Madison careers.
Dane County is a major sponsor of “I Have the Courage, We Have the Power to Stop Sexual Assault.” Other sponsors include UW–Madison Police, the Chancellor’s Office, University Health Services and the Dean of Students office.
More information on sexual assault prevention and intervention efforts at UW–Madison.