UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State is marking Sexual Assault Awareness month this April with a range of events and initiatives that offer educational opportunities, focus attention on the issue and bring the community together to stop sexual violence.
The month of events comes on the heels of Sexual Violence Awareness and Prevention Week sponsored by the University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA) Sexual Violence Awareness and Prevention Roundtable, which ran from March 16-24 and included speakers and educational programming around the issue of sexual violence. The roundtable includes members from the Center for Women Students, Stand for State, and student-led organizations.
”While April gives us dedicated time to focus on sexual violence and related issues, including the impact on victims and communities, it is important that we are having these conversations throughout the year and remember that sexual violence is an issue that impacts us all,” said Jennifer Pencek, programming coordinator of the Center for Women Students. “The month also gives us the opportunity to continue promoting resources that can help students and others both in terms of prevention work and also to help people after an incident of sexual violence or other trauma.”
Many resources are available to help victims of sexual assault and violence at Penn State and in the surrounding community, including medical services, confidential counseling, and reporting resources. For confidential support, students can contact the Center for Women Students (for all students), Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), and the Centre County Women’s Resource Center. For reporting and other information, the Office of Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response is available. A list of resources is available on the Office of Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response website.
Following are events taking place in April:
End Rape on Campus, 6:30 p.m. on April 3, Freeman Auditorium, HUB-Robeson Center
Sponsored by the Center for Women Students
Annie Clark and Andrea Pino of The Hunting Ground are civil rights activists and co-founders of End Rape On Campus, where they give voice and counsel to survivors of campus sexual assault all around the country. Their activism has been featured on the front page of The New York Times, CNN, ABC's Good Morning America, and MSNBC's The Melissa Harris-Perry Show.
More Than a Pretty Face: Challenging the Objectification of Women, 6 p.m. on April 12, 64 Willard Building
Sponsored by the Center for Women Students and PHREE
Join PHREE (Peers Helping Reaffirm, Educate and Empower) one of the Center for Women Students peer-education groups, for an interactive discussion about the objectification of women in the media and ways we as a community can face these issues.
Honoring Survival: Transforming the Spirit, 6:30 p.m. on April 10, Memorial Lounge, Pasquerilla Spiritual Center
Sponsored by the Center for Women Students and Centre County Women’s Resource Center
An annual event to honor the strength and resiliency of survivors of interpersonal violence and those who support them through the healing process. Through hearing stories from survivors and those who support them through poetry, storytelling, and music, the focus is on empowerment and the journey of healing.
Walk a Mile In Her Shoes, 2:30 p.m. on April 14, 129 ABC, HUB-Robeson Center
Sponsored by the Center for Women Students and Men Against Violence
The annual international men's march to stop rape, sexual assault, and gender violence is hosted annually by Men Against Violence, one of the Center for Women Students peer education groups.
Bystander intervention workshop, 4 p.m. on April 17, 233 HUB-Robeson Center
Sponsored by Stand for State
Penn State's bystander intervention initiative, Stand for State, will hold a 3-hour training on sexual and relationship violence bystander intervention. Open to all students. The training will teach students to identify warning signs, consider their values, and practice skills to intervene effectively. Learn more at standforstate.psu.edu.