Students stand against sexual assault

Students gathered around the clock tower Wednesday afternoon in support of IU’s silent victims of sexual assault.

Stand Up and Be Counted 2009, sponsored by the Women’s Student Association, honored Sexual Assault Awareness Month by drawing attention to the number of women victims of sexual assault and rape at IU each year.

Junior Cami Ward, president of the Women’s Student Association, passed out numbers to wear to represent the 335 women sexually assaulted at IU each year.

She said the association applied the U.S. Department of Justice’s statistic that 1.7 percent of women experience completed rape while in college to the 20,000 women on the Bloomington campus.

Ward said the number seems high because rape is one of the most underreported crimes. She said 15 sexual assaults at IU were reported in 2007 to the police.

“Many women are really reluctant to come forward, so in reality that number is much higher,” she said.

Members of the association and other students listened to guest speakers while wearing numbers on their shirts to represent sexual assault victims.

Ashton Shaw, president of Raising Awareness of Interactions in Sexual Encounters, spoke about the need for students to raise awareness of sexual assault and described some of the resources available on campus.

“Many people say this is a women’s issue, but this is everyone’s issue,” Shaw said.

Gabrielle Reed, crisis intervention services co-coordinator at Middle Way House, also addressed the psychological effects of rape on women and the cultural messages that blame women for their assault. She said ultimately the perpetrator makes the decision to harm someone.

“Sexual assault is not about love, miscommunication or sex,” Reed said. “It’s about control over someone else.”

Ward also read a speech on behalf of Eva Feldman, whose daughter was raped during her freshman year at IU. Feldman’s speech encouraged sexual assault victims to speak out and not to blame themselves.

Sophomore Carrie Coon, publicist for the Women’s Student Association, said Stand Up and Be Counted 2009 was meant to draw attention to the reality of sexual assault and to show victims they are not alone.

She said the group put up flyers and had planned on chalking, but the main goal of the event was to catch people walking by between classes.

Coon said the association wanted the event to coincide with Little 500 because of the increased risks students take during the weekend.

“It’s important to recognize what’s happening on campus,” Coon said. “You can’t ignore the statistics.”