According to information from the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, one in five women and one in 16 men are sexually assaulted while in college, and more than 90 percent of college assault victims don't report the crime.
Red Rocks Community College's honor society Phi Theta Kappa wants to do something about those numbers.
"A lot of college campuses have problems with sexual assault," said student Paula Garner, a member of the society. "We want to get out information to students about sexual assault and the rights and responsibilities everyone has."
As part of the society's Honors in Action Project, the 20 or so students in Red Rocks' chapter dedicated the week of Nov. 28 through Dec. 2 to informing students and staff about the pervasiveness of sexual assault and harassment, and ways to stop it.
"We did a lot of research and picked sexual assault as the theme because it can cover so many areas," said Natasha Albrecht, president of Red Rocks' Phi Theta Kappa chapter. "We're hoping to educate, and get people to know how common the culture of sexual assault and harassment is."
Phi Theta Kappa hosted speakers on a variety of subjects, from breaking the stigma around sexual assault, male survivors of assault, and bystander training. The training was particularly enlightening, said Kyle Beller, a member of the honor society.
"There are all kinds of sexual assault and harassment people should be aware of," he said. "It can happen with someone you're in a relationship with."
The events culminated in society members holding a small protest outside the college's main entrance on Dec. 1, with signs like "Consent is sexy," and getting passersby to join them for however long they could.
"I think it was very brave of the students to pick this topic," said Elizabeth James, a humanities faculty member who oversaw the project. "Thanks to the work they've been doing, we have 20 people on the campus who know a whole lot about this problem, and that has a huge ripple effect."
The project has already seen results. The college will include information about sexual assault in its new student orientation video, and will make it easier to report issues on the school's website.
"This stuff does happen, and there are people who will be on your side," said Andrew Koltuniuk, a member of Phi Theta Kappa. "Nobody should be afraid to say something if they've experienced sexual assault."
from Lakewood Sentinel - Latest Stories http://lakewoodsentinel.com/stories/Students-work-to-educate-about-sexual-assault-issues,240177
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