Students Against Sexual Assault: Week of Action in the Fall

“There are a lot of studies that show that art can be a really good form of therapy, community building and building personal relationships and support,” Hull said.

On Tuesday, October 22, at 6 p.m., SASA will host a panel discussion on “Survivors in the Media” in the Brian Doyle Auditorium. The event will feature professors from various disciplines, including the departments of communication, media and psychology, to discuss the portrayal of sexual assault survivors in the media.

According to Miriam Hamtil, SASA social media coordinator, this event is in line with SASA’s goal of strengthening the club’s connections with UP faculty and increasing staff involvement in survival issues on campus.

“We’re really excited to hear from faculty around campus about what they think about some of these topics because I think building discourse and communicating with professors and students is really important, so I’m really glad that we do that,” said Hamtil.

SASA will also host an event in collaboration with the Wellness Center on Wednesday, October 23, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in front of the Clark Library. The event aims to raise awareness of safe drinking practices in the run-up to Halloween. Students are given tips to avoid harmful drug-alcohol interactions and are provided drink covers to protect them from excessive alcohol consumption.

For Reese Baker, co-president of SASA, organizing the weekly events around topics that affect college students, such as: E.g. excessive alcohol consumption, helps raise awareness of on-campus resources for survivors. SASA’s Week of Action can also reach new first-years and transfer students who may not have been aware of the club before.

“When you’re in a new environment, you’re at your most vulnerable,” Baker said. “So it’s just a really good way to get people’s attention.”

On Thursday, October 24, at 7 p.m., SASA will lead a somatic yoga session at Beauchamp Studio 30, featuring deep stretches and other stress-relieving movements.

According to Hull, previous weeks of action have included similar activities to promote trauma healing through movement.

“‘Your body keeps score,’ some people say,” Hull said. “So physical activity reduces a lot of trauma and stress.”

The week ends with SASA’s annual flag presentation on October 25 in the academic courtyard.

On Friday, 1,000 flags will be displayed to symbolize the stark contrast between the high number of unreported sexual assaults and the few that result in convictions. Baker said white flags will be displayed to represent unreported sexual assaults and will make up the majority of flags on the academic quad.

Further information about the upcoming SASA action week in autumn can be found here.

Camille Kuroiwa-Lewis is the living editor of The Beacon. She can be reached at [email protected].