To honor Sexual Assault Awareness Month, held in April, the Department of Institutional Integrity and Title IX held a Walk for Awareness.

Students gathered at the Chi Omega fountain Friday to begin the two-mile walk around campus. Led by team members of the Title IX office, the route stretched around The Circle apartments and the Dean B. Ellis Library before turning by Pack Place and heading down Sorority Row. 

Deputy Title IX Coordinator Kelly Sabin said the goal of this event was two-fold: to show support for sexual assault victims and make students aware of the Title IX department and the resources they offer. 

“I hope that people walk away with knowing that they matter, that their experience, no matter how traumatic, matters and that people are there to support them,” Sabin said. 

Throughout the walk, facts about sexual assault were written on the concrete path in chalk. These included statistics about sexual violence. One note read that 53% of women and 29% of men are sexually assaulted. 

Students and faculty alike showed up to walk, covering a variety of colleges and including academic advisors and administrators. 

Carlie Glass, an academic advisor for the Beck College of Science and Mathematics and a 2023 A-State alumnus, said she’s happy the university is raising awareness about this topic.

“People aren’t always aware. If you have ever been a victim of something like sexual assault, you’re very aware. You’re aware of the statistics,” Glass said. “But if you haven’t, and you don’t know anyone who has, then it’s not something that’s in the forefront of your mind, but these are important issues to know about.”

Before the walk began, representatives from the NEA Family Crisis Center said they were grateful to participants. The Family Crisis Center provides support services to survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, and human trafficking, according to their website. 

They also advertised for the grand opening of the new Sexual Assault Support Services center on April 22, as well as a sexual assault awareness seminar on April 23. 

Emily Royer, a junior political science major from Gosnell, Arkansas, said she views public events to raise awareness as very important. 

“It’s really important that people know there’s a group of people out there for them,” Royer said. “A lot of victims may feel like they’re alone and isolated, so the campus organizing things like this helps that group of people understand that there’s a community for them.”

For more information, contact the Department of Institutional Integrity and Title IX at title9@astate.edu. 

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