In November, several programs in the Division of Student Affairs will be hosting campaigns for sexual assault awareness.
Associated Student Government will have its first Sexual Assault Awareness day and pledge drive, Greek Life will bring the nationally recognized It’s On Us campaign and pledge to campus and the RESPECT Program has two events coupling their ongoing sexual assault awareness campaign.
Although ASG, Greek Life and the RESPECT program are not officially collaborating on their projects, the different organizations are proudly speaking out against sexual assault.
Mary Wyandt-Hiebert, an adviser to the RESPECT program and director of STAR Central, said by participating with awareness events students have the opportunity to begin to become aware of the extent of sexual violence within their communities and in general.
Wyandt-Hiebert said ongoing efforts to address sexual violence throughout the year, regardless of official campaigns or holidays, are extremely important for awareness and cultural change.
“It is important for communities to recognize, participate and facilitate change within the community on an ongoing basis,” Wyandt-Hiebert said. “These programs can lead to additional questions about sexual violence and likely greater awareness as students continue to learn more about the spectrum of sexual violence.”
ASG Sexual Assault Awareness Day – Nov. 4
The Associated Student Government’s inaugural Sexual Assault Awareness day will be held on Nov. 4.
ASG will hold tabling events in the Arkansas Union during the day and a special edition of RED Talk in the evening at 6 p.m.
The event will feature a special proclamation presentation by Mayor Lioneld Jordan. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the first 100 students will receive free Chik-Fil-A. Students must bring student IDs to qualify.
The talk, officially titled RED Talk Goes Teal, will discuss diverse aspects of sexual assault and how it affects the greater community. Speakers will include Representative Greg Leding, UAPD Chief Gahagans and representatives from RESPECT and No Women Left Behind.
“ASG is working hard to take a stance against sexual assault at the University of Arkansas and in the community of Fayetteville,” Tanner Bone, ASG President, said. “One in five women and one in sixteen men are sexually assaulted while in college. Unfortunately, the University of Arkansas is not an exception, and that is why we have made this issue a priority this semester.”
ASG has teamed up with other campus organizations such as VAC, RIC, Kappa Alpha Order, Pi Beta Phi and No Women Left Behind to put on the event.
“These organizations, along with the NWA Rape Crisis Center, are going to help us promote sexual assault awareness through educating students on the topic, distributing teal ribbons and helping students sign the pledge that has been adopted by the university so we can speak out in one voice against sexual assault,” Morgan Farmer, ASG vice president, said.
ASG’s efforts to raise sexual assault awareness are being actively supported by Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, the city of Fayetteville including Mayor Jordan, U of A administration, faculty, staff and other state and local representatives.
“We want students to get involved, so come by the booths, talk to the professionals and programs that are there,” Meera Patel, ASG secretary, said. “Wear teal on November 4 and show your support on social media with the hashtag #weARcommitted. Most importantly, we want students to sign the pledge and attend RED Talk Goes Teal to show their support not only on paper but in person.”
Students can find the pledge online and join the fight for sexual assault awareness.
More information can be found at asg.uark.edu. For accommodations due to disability, please contact the Office of Student Activities, osa@uark.edu or call 
479-575-5255.
It’s On Us Week – Nov. 9-11
Greek Life is bringing the nationally recognized It’s On Us campaign to the University of Arkansas.
The campaign got it’s start in the White House with backing from President Barrack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, and now has over 75 sponsors. The It’s On Us campaign aims to reach a broader base of the population through its pledge and awareness efforts.
“We want to paint the campus in teal, the official color for sexual assault awareness, and connect with students on several different levels to get them to sign the pledge and commit to stopping sexual assault,” Darbie Kuykendall, an Alpha Chi Omega member and event organizer, said.
It’s On Us week will cover topics such a consent, bystander awareness and survivor support through tabling in the Arkansas Union and two events — SAPP’s Ladies’s & Men’s Night and a pep rally. Students will be able to sign the official It’s On Us pledge, which will then put their name on the pledge list on the official website.
“I think there is a bad stereotype surrounding Greek organizations and sexual assault,” Kuykendall said. “It’s not just Greek Life members who are affect by this issue, but everyone in the community until we stop this for good. We don’t want this issue to be overlooked anymore.”
On Tuesday night the Greek Life program SAPP, Sexual Assault Prevention Project, will focus on the issue of consent in a town hall setting at 6 p.m. in the Donald W. Reynolds Center.
Thursday night will bring the week to a head with a pep rally in the Chi Omega Greek Theatre at 6 p.m. featuring the band, cheerleaders and special guest speakers.
“They’ve discussed the issue of consent, they’ve signed the pledge, so on Thursday we want to celebrate the forward movement of the cause and the awareness they’ve raised,” Kuykendall said.
Kuykendall wants the It’s On Us campaign to bring about a conversation that stays for more than just a week.
“We want to bring passion and unity to sexual assault awareness across campus,” Kuykendall said. “This is something that can only be stopped if we work together, and hopefully our events and the awareness of the It’s On Us campaign will start a new conversation and really make people think about this serious topic.”
Students participating in activism on social media should use the hashtag #uarkitsonus and can follow the week on Instagram at @uark_itsonus.
Holiday Trees of Hope and Support and Asking For It screening – Nov. 9 and 11, 16
In November the RESPECT Program, Rape Education Services by Peers Encouraging Conscious Thought, will be hosting two events in their ongoing efforts for sexual assault awareness.
On Nov. 9 and 11, RESPECT will have tables in the Arkansas Union where administration, faculty, staff and students can make ribbons for the Trees of Hope and Support. Tables will be set up from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Beginning December 2004, the campus community started the tradition of writing messages to be displayed on the Tree of Hope and Support. The messages represent hope for a society free of sexual violence and support for those who have been victimized.
“The decorated trees serve as reminders that it takes an entire community to rise against sexual violence and to help the victims to become the survivors,” Mary Wyandt-Hiebert, director of STAR Central and RESPECT advisor, said.
Trees are on exhibit across campus as this project continues to annually represent solidarity against sexual violence within the community.
The Trees of Hope and Support will be on display from Nov. 18 to Dec. 9.
On Nov. 16, the film Asking for It: The Ethics and Erotics of Sexual Consent will be screened at 7 p.m. in the Pat Walker Health Center in classroom 283. The film explores and discusses affirmative sexual consent.
In the film, Harry Brod, a professor of philosophy and leader in the pro-feminist men’s movement, says the line between sexual consent and sexual coercion is not always as clear as it seems, which is why sexual interactions should be approached with great care.
In a nonthreatening discussion that ranges from the meanings of “yes” and “no” to the indeterminacy of silence to the way alcohol affects our ethical responsibilities, Brod challenges young people to envision a model of sexual interaction that is most erotic precisely when it is most thoughtful and empathetic.
Courtesy of Arkansas Newswire