It is estimated that in the past year, one in every six college women was the victim of rape or attempted rape.

Additionally, statistics show that one in three women and one in six men will experience sexual violence at some point during their lifetimes, according to Jo Ann Brown, crisis counselor at the Sexual Assault Treatment Center at Aurora Sinai Medical Center, 945 N. 12th St.

To confront these issues, the university is sponsoring Sexual Violence Awareness Week — an effort to educate and assist members of the Marquette community on the issue of sexual violence.

The week's activities commenced Sunday afternoon at Central Mall with a rally including organizations from as near as Milwaukee and as far away as New York City. Following the event, 150 participants attempted to make the "Largest Human Awareness Ribbon," of which the Guinness Book of World Records was notified.

Sunday also marked the start of O'Donnell Hall's fourth annual, 72-hour "Teeter-Totter Marathon," which aims to raise funds for the Task Force on Family Violence, a group that works to supply victims with shelter, security and counseling.

Running until Friday, Sexual Violence Awareness Week includes a long lineup of workshops, speakers, fundraisers and information sessions.

Sexual violence, as defined by the Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault, is "any act (verbal or nonverbal) that breaks another person's trust and/or safety and is sexual in nature."

Amy Melichar, the university's coordinator for the Center for Health Education and Promotion, said her goal for the week is to provide "good education, awareness and advocacy opportunities for the Marquette student community around the issues of sexual assault and sexual violence.

"We want students to realize that things can happen and they should be armed with good information."

The prevalence of sexual violence is hard to determine because it is "one of the most underreported crimes," Brown said.

Sexual assault has a reporting rate between 5 percent and 20 percent, according to a Department of Public Safety pamphlet.

According to Brown, victims may choose not to report the offense because of a sense of guilt or shame, especially if alcohol or drug use was a factor. Some victims may feel that by wearing certain outfits or walking in certain areas at the wrong time of day makes them at fault. They may be afraid of hearing "I told you so," she said.

"It's not the fault of the victim, it's the responsibility of the offender," Brown said. "We all exercise poor judgment, but poor judgment is never an excuse for sexual assault."

Sexual violence is not a gender specific issue, because 7 percent to 10 percent of victims are male. Bridgette Hensley, the sexual violence prevention coordinator at the Marquette Counseling Center, said this statistic is important to Sexual Violence Awareness Week's message this year.

"We are really trying to send the message that sexual violence is everyone's problem, not just women's," she said. "There are victims of every race, age, culture, religion and sexual orientation."

Organizations contributing to Sexual Violence Awareness Week include The Task Force on Family Violence, Violence Opposition in Community Education and the Marquette-based Helping Abuse and Violence End Now network. Other university departments involved are the0. Center for Health Education and Promotion, Department of Public Safety, the Office of Residence Life and University Ministry.