The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

Week aims to teach, enlighten students

They have emotional shock, denial, nightmares and intrusive memories about the assault.

They have feelings of guilt, depression, fear, anxiety and anger.

They have difficulty feeling safe and trusting friends, and inflict self-blame and guilt.

According to experts, most typical sexual assault victims remain in acute trauma for three months.

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Wendy Clause, psychologist at the Counseling Center, says symptoms such as these are why Marquette holds a Sexual Violence Awareness Week.

“The goal of Sexual Violence Awareness Week is to create awareness about various forms of sexual violence,” Clause said. “Sexual assault, stalking and dating violence are occurring with alarming frequency and are all too common on college campuses.”

The four-day event will start on Monday with a candlelight vigil at St. Joan of Arc Chapel and will conclude Thursday with the annual “Take Back the Night Rally” in which female survivors of sexual assault will be recognized.

The theme for the week is “Help Heal a Heart Broken by Violence,” proposed by Marquette students and the planning committee.

“I have not had personal experience with sexual assault myself, but by virtue of the work I do as a health educator it is my job to get involved and educate the students on sexual assault prevention,” said peer health educator Amy Melichar.

The Department of Public Safety is one of the groups taking a major role in planning the event. DPS wants to help reduce sexual violence.

“I’ve been doing this for eight years now and it has continued to grow, and it seems awareness has gone up,” said Sue Cooper, a member of the planning board and a crime prevention officer.

Many students are also taking an active role in this event.

Senior Kenna Bolton has participated in the program for the past three years. This year she helped coordinate the activities for the week.

“This week is geared both toward men and women,” Bolton said. “Men are victims of sexual violence, whether they themselves have been victimized or whether the women close to them have. This is truly an issue that involves everyone.”

Some of the men around campus have taken a role.

The O’Donnell residents are holding the first ever “Teeter Totter Marathon.” For 72 hours straight 145 boys will take shifts sitting on a teeter-totter, trying to raise $1,500 for the Sojourner House, a local woman’s shelter in Milwaukee.

According to a survey of Marquette students conducted by Helping Absolute Violence End Now, 26 percent of women and 4 percent of men report that they have been sexually assaulted. The survey also says 32 percent of women and 36 percent of men have been victims of violence in a dating relationship.