From Oct. 21 to 25, Students Against Sexual Assault (SASA) will welcome students back from break with their fall Week of Action. The biannual event aims to raise awareness about sexual assault through various events, including “Survivors in the Media,” a professor-led panel that will discuss the impacts of social movements and media on “survivorship.”
The events kick off Oct. 21 at 7 p.m. with a worry stone painting night, hosted in collaboration with the Art Club. The event will be in Dundon-Berchtold Hall room 133 and offers students an emotional outlet for stress while also creating a supportive environment among attendees, according to SASA Co-President Isabella Hull.
“There's a lot of studies that show that art can be a really good form of therapy, community building, earning personal relationships and support,” Hull said.
On Tuesday, Oct. 22 at 6 p.m., SASA will host a “Survivors in the Media” panel in the Brian Doyle auditorium. The event will feature professors from various disciplines, including the communication and media and psychology departments, to discuss the portrayal of sexual assault survivors in the media.
According to SASA Social Media Coordinator Miriam Hamtil, this event aligns with SASA’s goal to strengthen the club’s connections with UP faculty and bolster staff involvement with survivorship on campus.
“We're really excited to hear from faculty around campus and what they think on some of those issues because I think that building discourse and communication with professors and students is really important, so I'm really glad we're doing that,” Hamtil said.
SASA will also host an event in collaboration with the Wellness Center on Wednesday, Oct. 23, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in front of Clark Library. The goal of the event is to raise awareness about safe drinking practices ahead of Halloween. Students will be offered tips on avoiding harmful drug and alcohol interactions, and drink covers will be provided to help protect against drink spiking.
For SASA Co-President Reese Baker, organizing the week’s events around issues that affect college students, like drink spiking, helps raise awareness of on-campus resources for survivors. SASA’s Week of Action can also reach new first year and transfer students, who may previously be unaware of the club.
“When you're in a new environment, you are at your most vulnerable,” Baker said. “So it's just a really good way of just getting people's attention."
On Thursday, Oct. 24 at 7 p.m., SASA will be leading a somatic yoga session in Beauchamp Studio 30, that will feature deep stretching and other movements designed to relieve stress.
According to Hull, previous Weeks of Actions have included similar activities to promote trauma healing through movement.
“‘Your body keeps score’ is what some people say,” Hull said. “So a lot of trauma and stress release through physical activity.”
The week will conclude with SASA’s annual flag display on Oct. 25 in the academic quad.
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 lead to convictions. White flags will be displayed to represent unreported sexual assaults and will make up the majority of flags on the academic quad, according to Baker.
More information on SASA’s upcoming fall Week of Action can be found here.
Camille Kuroiwa-Lewis is the Living Editor for The Beacon. She can be reached at kuroiwal26@up.edu.
