Awareness in April

During the month of April, students noticed posters in many of the buildings on campus that discussed sexual assault. While many on campus raised eyebrows, it helped to inform the community that April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

One set of posters was posted by the S.A.G.E. Center, which offers a safe environment for women and LGBTQ students at Plymouth State University. "During the month of April, the S.A.G.E. center puts on events that raise awareness towards the issue of sexual assault," said Delilah Smith, the S.A.G.E. Center's director. "We put events on throughout the year, but in April especially."

While some have called sexual assault a non-issue at Plymouth State University, in reality it should be considered a silent issue. According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, less than 5 percent of completed or attempted rapes against college women were reported to law enforcement. In regards to college students, first years and sophomores are at greater risk for victimization than juniors and seniors.

The aim of Sexual Assault Awareness Month is to help educate the general public on what they can do to make sure that it doesn't happen to them or to those they love. Its other main goal is to try to change the overall culture towards sexual assault. "It's up to the campus to change the culture. It's not okay to catcall, and it›s not okay to objectify women," said Smith.

In regards to the different sets of posters put on campus, it is unclear who posted the other set not associated with the S.A.G.E. Center. "The posters belonging to the S.A.G.E. Center are clearly marked. We'll call the other posters the Phantom Force."

Nonetheless, Smith did state that the posters she had seen still had an educational purpose to them that could benefit students.
Phantom Force or not, one benefit that Smith hoped students take away from the posters was that there are resources on campus to deal with sexual assault. "The hope was to give the students the knowledge of where they could go if something like this happened to them, or to someone they knew."

Smith also wants students to know that the S.A.G.E. Center is not the only place students can go if they or someone they knew were sexually assaulted. "Even if students have experienced a violent crime against them, students have access to the S.A.G.E. Center, University Police, Voices Against Violence and the Judicial Affairs department."

However, she hopes that there is another benefit to the events and postings that appeared during April. "I hope that students are able to start a dialogue, and understand the importance of knowing that they have places to go to discuss these issues, or if they need help."