In observance of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Portland State will be holding a variety of events throughout April to raise awareness about sexual violence, in order to educate individuals and communities on the prevention of it.
Some of the events include workshops, readings, film showings and discussions on subjects such as gender and sexuality studies, self-defense and campus safety. The university has also created a mandatory online learning module titled “Creating a Safe Campus: Preventing Gender Discrimination, Sexual Harassment, Sexual Misconduct and Sexual Assault,” which launched on Thursday.
The module was created to improve safety, as well as comply with recent federal legislation addressing increased sexual violence. All PSU students will be required to complete the module along with a short exam on their Desire2Learn page.
After completing the 30 minute module, students will be informed of PSU’s policies and codes on sexual harassment, gender discrimination, sexual misconduct, sexual assault, dating violence and domestic violence. The module will also serve to make students aware of internal and external resources regarding sexual assault.
The 2014 SAAM campaign is focused on young people and the provision of tools to promote healthy sexuality, as well as information on the prevention of sexual violence.
Some events that PSU will be putting on during SAAM will include “My Walk Has Never Been Average,” a staged reading that documents the struggle of tradeswomen in America, and Bike Back the Night/Take Back the Night, an event focused on speaking in opposition to the violence occurring against women in the community.
“SAAM is really about communities,” said Lisa Factora-Borchers, a Filipina-American writer, facilitator and editor of Dear Sister: Letters from Survivors of Sexual Violence, at a talk on April 1. “It’s not like survivors need a month to be ‘aware.’ It’s really about communities understanding their own capacities to support, uplift and believe in survivors. That’s where the work is.”
PSU’s Women’s Resource Center has taken a lead role in promoting SAAM and is working with campus partners and student groups in order to offer classes and events that will be useful to the campus community.
“We are interested in events that stress the need for an intersectional approach to gender justice—one that incorporates work around race, class, sustainability, disability, etc,” said Jessica Amo, director of the WRC. “Sexual assault affects all communities—it’s not a stand-alone issue.”
At their events, the WRC will take an approach that encourages conversations to happen in different ways and different spaces, while also working toward getting everyone engaged in the creation of a safe, supportive community.
The WRC’s goal is that by the end of SAAM, PSU students will have learned these important points:
1. “The only way to end sexual violence is for all students to take an active role in preventing violence before it occurs.
2. Students affected by sexual violence are much more likely to start by talking to other students, rather than professional service providers. When someone tells you about being assaulted, your ability to provide a supportive, validating and informed response can make all the difference in their ability to heal and get support.
3. There are lots of ways to get involved in the SAAM movement. Come to an event this month, and stay engaged all year!”
A full list of events and more information on SAAM at PSU can be found at pdx.edu/sexual-assault/saam-events.