April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Every April, there is nationwide recognition of Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM). We uplift, support, and believe survivors during this month. We seek to link together to make a safer, more just community. Scroll through this page and check back throughout the month for updates on events, educational opportunities, resources, and for how you can get involved in raising awareness.

This project is sponsored by Grant No. 2018-WA-AX-0042, awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. Points of view in this document/webpage are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official positions or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

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Linking Together for a Safer Community

This year for Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Health Promotion and Wellness is highlighting the importance of community in preventing and responding to sexual assault. This includes proactive actions, such as being an active bystander to potential violence, and reactive actions, such as providing survivor-centered resources for support. Scroll down to read more about events, how you can get involved, and for further information on SAAM.

Content warning: This news story will contain references to sexual assault and could contain references to other forms of interpersonal violence. Please take care when reading through this story. If you are in need of confidential support, reach out to a Confidential Advocate or to the 24/7 Call to Safety hotline at 503-235-5333.

Events and Projects

Demonstrate your commitment to a safer community with the Paper Chain Project!

This is a community-wide initiative to collect anonymous student, staff, and faculty responses to various prompts about supporting survivors and creating a safer community. A table is set up in the lobby of Watzek Library (mornings and afternoons, weekdays) with slips of paper and writing utensils for folks to use to answer prompts. A locked drop box will be placed on the table for participants to put in their replies.

There is also an anonymous online submission form for accessibility and comfort purposes. Health Promotion and Wellness staff/volunteers will transcribe the online submissions onto slips for the paper chain.

NOTE: Please read the following information carefully before participating in the Paper Chain Project.

We ask that the form and materials not be used for counterproductive purposes, such as submitting responses that reflect poor conduct. Please review the Student Code of Conduct and other relevant policies if you are unsure of what this entails.

Please note, this is intended to show support for sexual assault survivors and to envision a safer community through a visual project. Please take care when participating in this project. If you are in need of confidential support, please reach out to a Confidential Advocate (CA), Call to Safety (24/7, 503-235-5333), or another confidential resource.

If you are a survivor wishing to leave feedback for an office or department, please do so via the anonymous feedback form.

Please also note that submissions SHOULD NOT be used to report sexual misconduct/interpersonal violence or name accused students. If you wish to file a report with the college, please visit the reporting form or contact Title IX.

We are grateful for your participation in this project! Questions or concerns? Reach out to Interpersonal Violence Prevention Coordinator Emily Mattson.

Join your peers in discussions about various topics on consent education!

Healthy Non-Heteronormative Relationships and Consent, Friday, April 15, 2022
Consent in Daily Life, Monday, April 18, 2022
Sexual Citizens Consent Conversation/Workshop, Thursday, 4/21/22, 5:30-7pm (non-binding RSVP here)

On April 27, wear denim to support survivors to close out Sexual Assault Awareness Month! Read more about how this international project got started.

Post selfies or pictures in your denim using to show your solidarity with survivors!

Come and view the final Paper Chain Project at [Location TBD] April 28-29 to see the words of community support for survivors, to reflect, and to stand in community and in solidarity.

Educational Resources

Participate in the Paper Chain Project, SAAM Day of Action, Denim Day, or attend a workshop or event on campus.
Engage over social media by following survivors and/or survivor-led organizations as they speak their truth; share or repost with credit to the work they do.
Check in with friends and community members and challenge unhealthy and harmful behaviors.
Learn to recognize the red flags of potential sexual assault.
Become knowledgeable and more aware of campus, local, state, and national resources available to turn to for support with or reporting of sexual assault.

Mythbusting: What’s True and What’s False?

Click through the menu below to bust myths about sexual assault. PDF version.

False.

Women can and do perpetrate sexual violence. It is important to upend stereotypes of who we perceive to be victim-survivors, and who we perceive to be perpetrators. People of all identities and lived experiences can be either a victim-survivor or a perpetrator of violence. There is no such thing as a typical victim-survivor or a typical perpetrator.

Books to Read

Credible by Deborah Tuerkheimer

Sexual Justice by Alexandra Brodsky

Sexual Citizens by Jennifer Hirsch and Shamus Khan

Ask: Building Consent Culture by Kitty Stryker, afterword by Carol Queen, foreword by Laurie Penny

Learning Good Consent: On Healthy Relationships and Survivor Support, edited by Cindy Crabb

Consent on Campus: A Manifesto by Donna Freitas

In a Day’s Work: The Fight to End Sexual Violence Against America’s Most Vulnerable Workers by Bernice Yeung

At the Dark End of the Street by Danielle L. McGuire

Unpinned: Breaking the Hold of Sexual Assault and Abuse by Grant Watkins

Yes Means Yes: Visions of Female Power and a World Without Rape by Jaclyn Friedman and Jessica Valenti

I Have the Right To: A High School Survivor’s Story of Sexual Assault, Justice And Hope by Chessy Prout and Jen Abelson

We Believe You: Survivors Of Campus Sexual Assault Speak Out by Annie E. Clark and Andrea L. Pino

In the Dream House: A Memoir by Carmen Maria Machado

Black Mask-Ulinity: A Framework for Black Masculine Caring (Black Studies and Critical Thinking #72), edited by Rochelle Brock, Cynthia B. Dillard, and Richard Greggory Johnson III

Man Up: Reimagining Modern Manhood by Carlos Andres Gomez

The Macho Paradox: Why Some Men Hurt Women and How All Men Can Help by Jackson Katz

Decolonizing Trauma Work: Indigenous Stories and Strategies, by Renee Linklater and Lewis Mehl-Madrona

Queering Sexual Violence: Radical Voices From Within the Anti-Violence Movement, edited by Jennifer Patterson, forward by Reina Gossett

Not That Bad: Dispatches From Rape Culture by Roxane Gay

Dear Sister: Letters From Survivors of Sexual Violence by Lisa Factora-Borchers and Aishah Shahidah Simmons

Written on the Body: Letters From Trans and Non-binary Survivors of Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence, edited by Lexie Bean, forward and additional pieces by Dean Spade, Nyala Moon, Alex Valdes, Sawyer DeVuyst, and Ieshai Bailey

The Revolution Starts at Home: Confronting Intimate Violence Within Activist Communities, edited by Ching-In Chen, Jai Dulani, and Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha

Support and Reporting Resources

For a full list of resources, please visit the Healthy Relationships Resources page. If you are in need of immediate medical or law enforcement services, please dial 911 or contact Campus Safety at 503-768-7777.