The month of April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Saint Xavier University hosted numerous events all month long to spread awareness of sexual assault.
There was a Mindfulness Meditation and Community Healing Series that took place throughout the month for students to learn and participate in mindfulness, meditation, and experience the benefits of sound therapy.
On Monday, April 1, the event Spoken Word by FreeQuency was hosted at 7 p.m. in McGuire Hall.
Mwende “FreeQuency” Katwiwa is a 26-year-old Kenyan, immigrant, queer womyn writer and speaker.
The term “womyn” is a nonstandard spelling of “women” adopted by some feminists in order to avoid the word ending -men.
A performance by FreeQuency not only helped kick off National Poetry Month but also set a comforting and healing tone for Sexaul Assault Awarness month.
The National Day of Action was held on Tuesday, April 2, in the SXU Diner from 11 a.m. through 1 p.m.
People were encouraged to wear teal, which is the color of sexual assault awareness and prevention. Any teal shirt or accessory served as a starter to discuss topics like respect, consent, and supporting survivors.
On Friday, April 5, students were invited to join Pillars and Athletics for a discussion on Men as Allies, which was about masculinity, male socialization and its intersection with dating and gender violence.
The participants learned how they can speak out and stand up to prevent gender violence that take place within their own communities.
The next event was hosted on Monday, April 8, in the Wiseman Student Lounge. Students were invited to explore the meaning of consent, communication, and healthy relationships. Students were also able to develop skills for supporting the survivors of sexual assault.
Sex in the Dark was hosted on Monday, April 8, in the Fourth Floor Boardroom at 7:30 through 8:30 p.m. The Sex in the Dark event was hosted with the lights off and the room lightly glowing in neon light.
This gave students the opportunity to anonymously ask the staff and other students questions about relationships and sex, then receive honest answers to their questions without the anxiety of having all the eyes in the room on them.
Take Back the Night was hosted on Wednesday, April 10, in the Butler Reception Room at 7:30 p.m. This event let students come together to support the survivors and victims of sexual assault and relationship violence.
There was on open mic for people to share their feelings and personal stories about violence they have faced. Denim Day is on Wednesday, April 24, and is the 20th Annual Denim Day.
Millions of people all over the world wear jeans with the purpose of supporting survivors of sexual assault and as a way to educate themselves and others about all forms of sexual violence.
Denim Day is meant to illustrate how what a person is wearing is not an invitation to sexually assault them and that there is no excuse for rape.
SXU has many resources available in the case of a sexual assault and encourages any student to report a sexual assault.
The resources include the SXU Counseling Center: 773-298-4045, Rainn: 1-800-656-HOPE (4673), Rainn live chat: rainn.org/about-sexual-assault, SXU Health Center: 773-298-3712, Dean of Students Office: 773-298-3121, SXU Public Safety for immediate emergency response and for official notification to the University: (773)-298-3911 (24 hours), Text “HOME” to Crisis Textline: 741741, and Pillars Community Health Sexual Assault Hotline: 708-482-9600.
Kylee Rus
News Editor