Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event comes to Penn State Harrisburg
- Feb 24, 2015
- 3 min read
MIDDELTOWN, PA. - The November 2014 Rolling Stone article “A Rape on Campus,” ignited a national conversation about campus sexual assault. In the months since the initial publication, media outlets of all stripes have covered the story within a story – a college student identified only as Jackie, spoke with a female reporter about an alleged gang rape at the University of Virginia’s Charlottesville campus.
There are infinite arguments from media critics asking why a reporter and her editor(s) did not insist on interviewing the alleged perpetrators prior to publication. The Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism began an independent review on the editorial process that led to the article’s publication.
Whether or not Jackie’s story is accurate, the reality remains that female college students are raped on campuses across the country and these crimes continue to go underreported for a variety of reasons. Some of the reasons why victims do not speak up about the crimes include a fear of retribution, guilt, shame and the fear that people will not believe their accusations.
In May 2014, the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights released a list of 55 universities [which currently stands at 95], Penn State included, that are being investigated for possible Title IX violations related to sexual violence issues. As part of a desire for greater transparency, President Obama’s White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault has launched a national awareness initiative called “It’s On Us.” The campaign features celebrities and policymakers spreading the message of stopping sexual and domestic violence.
The call to action includes four main components found on www.itsonus.org. The actions include: recognizing that non-consensual sex is sexual assault, identifying situations in which sexual assault may occur, intervening in situations where consent has not or cannot be given, and creating an environment in which sexual assault is unacceptable and survivors are supported.
President Obama and Vice President Biden often quote the statistic that one in five women on college campuses are sexually assaulted. The widely used statistic stems from a 2007 study “The Campus Sexual Assault Study” conducted for the Justice Department’s National Institute of Justice. A 2014 MIT survey found that 17 percent of female undergraduates experienced one or more unwanted sexual behaviors while enrolled at the university. Whether it is one in five, one in six or even one in seven, female college students who are sexually assaulted during four years of undergraduate education, the statistics raise a lot of concern for many people.
To get involved in efforts to end sexual assault and domestic violence against women, students can join the Penn State Harrisburg Commission for Women on April 7 for the second annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event. The event started in 2001 with just a small group of men walking around a park in California. The event has grown into an international movement, with thousands of men participating and raising funds, along with awareness for local rape crisis centers, domestic violence shelters and other education, prevention and remediation programming.
This year’s campus event will take place during the common hour on Vartan Plaza. State Rep. Kevin Schreiber, D-York, will give the opening remarks before those signed up to walk wear the signature Walk a Mile red high heels and walk across campus together with their supporters.
For more details on how to get involved with the Walk a Mile in Her Shoes Event, students can attend an information session on Feb. 17 at 11:30 a.m. in E209 Olmsted. For more information on the event, contact Alison Smolinksi, Penn State Harrisburg Commission for Women Liaison Chair, at Als539@psu.edu.
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