USU Office Raises Awareness of Sexual Assault Risk During Red Zone
(graphic illustration from SAAVI website)
Sexual assault has the highest rate of any violent crime on college campuses across the nation. All students, but especially freshman and sophomores, are most at risk between the beginning of school and the Thanksgiving holiday, making this the Red Zone for sexual assault.
Utah State University’s Sexual Assault and Anti-Violence Information office is working to make sure students are aware of this risk through a Red Zone awareness event at the Taggart Student Center on Sept. 22 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The SAAVI office will use games, prizes and even a doughnut-eating contest to get students to drop by and learn more about the Red Zone and the services its office provides. The doughnut-eating contests, the highlight of the event, take place at 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
“One of the best ways to help a friend or family member who has been assaulted is to connect them with resources, on campus or in the community, including free counseling. It can be difficult for those not trained in victim advocacy to be the sole support for a survivor. Ideally, sexual assault advocacy should include a myriad of people and resources, and the agencies that are coming to the Red Zone event are those who can help,” said SAAVI social work intern Bret Nielson.
For the Red Zone event, SAAVI will bring together both community and campus resources available to survivors and those who support victims. Students are encouraged to stop by, even if between classes, and discover what options are available to them.
“A lot of people don’t like to talk about sexual assault,” said SAAVI Coordinator Jenny Erazo. “We’ve taken a fun approach to get people to stop and talk with us about sexual assault and educate them on risks and resources.”
For more information about the event, SAAVI offices, or sexual assault, contact the office at (435) 797-1510 or see its website.
The USU SAAVI office provides safe and confidential counseling, advocacy and information to anyone at USU who is a survivor of or has questions about sexual assault, rape dating violence, domestic violence, stalking, hate crime or hazing.
Contact: Bret Nielson, (801) 652-6885, bret.nielson@gmail.com
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