“Yes means yes, no means no, however we dress, wherever we go,” Fort Lewis College students chanted as they made a Friday afternoon loop around campus in the name of sexual assault awareness.
“We’re trying to spread awareness,” said sophomore Allen Tieme, who was among about 25 men and women who participated in the walk. “Sexual assault – there isn’t any place without it, on or off college campuses.”
In Colorado, an estimated one in four women and one in 17 men will experience sexual assault in their lifetimes, according to the organization Moving to End Sexual Assault.
The “walk a mile in her shoes” awareness campaign was founded by therapist and counselor Frank Baird in 2001 when he worked at the Valley Trauma Center in California’s San Fernando Valley.
Representatives with the Sexual Assault Services Organization attended Friday’s event, noting that the issue is not exclusive to women.
“The key thing is that we all have this conversation and keep it going,” Executive Director Maura Demko said. “It isn’t just a women’s issue; it’s a human issue.”
Sophomore Mallorie Weigman emphasized the importance of involving men in raising awareness because they, too, are the victims of sexual assault, and they should also have an active role in supporting the women in their lives who are victims.
Sociology student Maggie Chamblee, a junior, organized the walk with her classmates in the sociology department and hopes it becomes an annual event.
“For us, the significance of this walk is to try and help end sexual assault on college campuses,” Chamblee said. “We are hoping to do that by raising awareness and not only teaching women about how to protect themselves, but also teaching men what consent looks like and how they can become more actively involved in ending sexual assault.”
