Throughout the month of April, Lawrence is observing nationally-recognized Sexual Assault and Awareness Month (SAAM). Numerous campus organizations, such as Student Alliance Against Sexual Harassment and Assault (SAASHA), the Sexual Harassment and Assault Resources & Education (SHARE) committee and the Title IX office, have been hosting events to honor the month.
According to Title IX Coordinator Sara Holtzman, SAAM is primarily aimed at spreading awareness and education about sexual assault, working towards finding ways to eliminate it.
“Ultimately, I would love to be out of a job,” Holtzman said. “That would be fantastic. Not because I don’t want to work here, of course, but because that means that we […] have found an end to sexual violence.”
Holtzman and SAASHA co-chair Chloe Forero, a junior, agree that the month is dedicated not only to educating the public, but to creating a space where survivors of sexual assault feel supported. Forero stressed the importance of community, as she said that survivors often feel alone in their experience due to heavy stigma surrounding the subject and suppressing their voices. She said SAAM is an opportunity for people to come together and engage in conversations about sexual assault and work to destigmatize the issue.
Holtzman said that this month presents an opportunity for her to move forward in making the Title IX office known to Lawrentians. Following rapid turnover in the position, Holtzman said that many of the students, staff and faculty she has talked to about Title IX are unsure of the existence or purpose of the office. One of her goals after filling the position was to increase her public presence so the campus can recognize her as a resource available to them. She said that this month presented an opportunity for her to educate Lawrence about Title IX and her role in the office in addition to education about sexual assault.
So far, Holtzman has shown up to several SAAM events. She pointed out that while participation has been somewhat low, the participants she has engaged with are passionate about participation and education.
Formal events have been taking place since SAAM Day of Action tabling outside the Andrew Commons on Tuesday, April 4. Holtzman and advocates from the local mental health organization Reach Counseling provided information on SAAM and encouraged students to cut out paper hands with supportive messages to survivors on them, with the goal of reducing survivors’ feelings of isolation. Holtzman hosted another event on April 6 titled “Time with Title IX,” with the goal of spreading information and educating about the language of Title IX and the process. Forero and SAASHA have worked with SHARE to host the SAAM movie night on Wednesday, April 18, as well as a Survivor Saturday event on Saturday, April 15 at the Trout Museum of Art, where Lawrentians took a moment to decompress from the month.
Both Holtzman and Forero are looking forward to Denim Day on Wednesday, April 26, where Forero will be giving a speech about the day’s importance to SAAM. Holtzman regards the day as an important time to visibly show solidarity with survivors by wearing denim in their honor. The day will culminate with a candlelight vigil for survivors hosted by SHARE, which will take place at 8 p.m., titled Shine a Light on Sexual Violence. Holtzman plans to gather attendees on the footbridge between Memorial Hall and the Warch Campus Center for a moment of silence and a walk around campus. She said this event is not limited to survivors and encourages everyone to attend, regardless of their experiences. Forero said she is especially looking forward to the vigil because she believes it is a chance for survivors to see the people standing in solidarity with them.
“I think it’ll give people an opportunity to see who […] is there to support them,” Forero said. “Maybe someone has a shared experience with them. I just want people on this campus to know they’re not alone […] I think that candlelight vigil will just give people the space to see that it doesn’t have to be as difficult as it seems.”
While Holtzman does not plan for the vigil to be a speak-out, she acknowledges the day may create the need to share one’s experience. For a formal speak-out event, she is planning a Take Back the Night event in May, where people can talk about their experiences freely. Although SAAM will be over by then, she considers this to be a continuation of the month in the ongoing struggle to end sexual violence.
“I appreciate these months that really help us draw so much attention to this,” Holtzman said. “But it’s work that continues throughout the course of the year. It doesn’t just end and start in April.”
Events will continue until Thursday, April 27, when Professor of Political Science and Women’s & Gender Studies at Brooklyn College Paisley Currah will be giving a speech on transgender rights on all levels of government at 7 p.m. in the Wriston Auditorium. The speech is titled “This Anti-Trans Moment—Resisting the Right and the Center.”
Holtzman acknowledged that there may be people not yet ready to actively engage with SAAM. For this reason, she aimed, with other SAAM collaborators, to take a multi-faceted approach to preparing to observe the month. She pointed out that there are still several indirect ways to spread awareness on campus, such as the display of books about sexual assault in the Seeley G. Mudd Library and consent-themed coasters in the Viking Room available to visitors both as talking points and as a way to bring a piece of SAAM home with them.
Holtzman also stressed the importance of online action to engage with SAAM, especially for those who are apprehensive about direct involvement with the month. She highlighted the online Ask an Advocate sessions, where students can pose their questions about sexual assault and other related topics to an expert in the field over Zoom. Holtzman also pointed to the SHARE Instagram page for a less direct approach to self-education.
Although the month is not yet over, Holtzman hopes to bring in more external resources and community advocates for SAAM at Lawrence in the coming years. Her goal is to make SAAM a bigger part of Lawrence culture, such as welcoming the Appleton community to observe the month at the university alongside Lawrentians. She said she welcomes feedback to realize her goals for SAAM in the future.
Forero wants Lawrentians to know that even if they have not experienced sexual misconduct, they are still welcome to attend the events as SAAM heads toward a close.
“I don’t think that Sexual Assault Awareness Month is necessarily about being a victim yourself,” Forero said. “It’s about having empathy, being educated and willing to spread the word about something that unfortunately wreaks havoc on so many people’s lives.”