Sexual violence and alcohol abuse remain pressing issues on college campuses and in society as a whole.
April is designated nationally as both Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Alcohol Awareness Month, and a pair of campus organizations are taking that opening to continue offering Bennies and Johnnies opportunities to stand up, speak out and learn more on each topic.
“These are such important issues that everyone needs to be aware of,” said CSB senior Brooke Verkinnes, the student co-coordinator for CERTS (Consent, Equality, Respect, Talking, Safety), a student/staff partnership at CSB and SJU whose mission is to “facilitate honest, open conversation regarding sexual health issues in order to foster healthy, safe decisions around sex and an environment that does not tolerate, accept or condone sexual activity without consent.”
“This month offers a chance to have these kinds of conversations that people sometimes shy away from having,” she continued. “It’s a way to get students to come out and talk about prevention and ways to support others.”
The activities scheduled this month on both campuses include the third annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event, scheduled for 6 p.m. on April 16.
Beginning at SJU’s Warner Palaestra, participants will take part in a 30-minute walk around campus to stand with victims of sexual assault and continue raising awareness about the causes, effects and solutions relating to sexual violence.
In case of rain, the walk will be moved indoors to the McNeely Spectrum.
Those taking part have the option of wearing heels (pairs will be provided) to show their solidarity, but all are welcome regardless. Free t-shirts will be provided to the first 90 students to sign up and there will be a raffle for gift cards as well.
Snacks and bracelets will be offered and CERTS and the Central Minnesota Sexual Assault Center will offer on-site resources.
“We had 350 people take part in the first event and 450 last year,” said Verkinnes, whose organization will also be holding a tabling event as part of Denim Day on April 29, when people around the world will wear jeans in support survivors and to educate themselves and others about all forms of sexual violence.
“To see the way it’s taken off has been really awesome. It’s a way to show support for survivors of sexual assault. To see so many people walking in a group sends a really meaningful message. But it’s also a lot of fun. We play music and it’s a chance to hang out and socialize. If we can create a welcoming atmosphere like that, it opens the door for more discussion about these issues.”
Meanwhile, stop@buzzed CSB+SJU will hold a series of events in April designed to increase awareness of the issues surrounding alcohol abuse.
That includes a pair of tabling events in CSB’s Gorecki Center – one on April 8, focusing on Alcohol Awareness Month in general and one on April 16, designed to increase education about the link between alcohol abuse and gambling issues.
“We want to get out there and let people know what’s going on,” said CSB senior Alex Smith, one of the organization’s student coordinators and the current Saint Ben’s Senate president.
“(At the April 8 event), we’re going to be handing out punch cards to encourage people to attend events on campus instead of just going out to the bars and drinking. If you go to five, you get entered into a drawing to win one of our sweatshirts. There are a lot of things going on that people don’t always know about and this is a way to promote them.
“The gambling event is something we originally wanted to do in March to connect with March Madness (surrounding the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments),” she continued. “That didn’t end up working out, but it’s such an important issue that we decided to do it this month instead.”
The group is also hiding six foam bees on campus each week in April. Those who find them will also be registered in a drawing for prizes. In addition, the group is partnering with the Peer Resource Program (PRP) to have a presence at the annual Pinecone Jam scheduled for April 11 in Brother Willie’s Pub, located in Sexton Commons on the SJU campus.
“It’s really important to get both Bennies and Johnnies engaged,” said SJU senior John Maile, who is the media campaign director for stop@buzzed. “Bennies have sometimes been more active in these events in the past. But these are issues that impact everyone on both campuses and we want to stand together.”