The Equity, Civil Rights and Title IX Office commenced the university’s annual recognition of Sexual Assault Awareness Month Tuesday night with an active awareness event on Fountain Mall. The event, which consisted of tabling from the office’s staff, provided attendees with information and memorabilia intended to inform students of Baylor’s commitment to identifying and handling cases of sexual assault.

“We’re protecting one another, and we’re standing with individuals who are survivors as well and not shying away from the topic at all, but also giving sanctity to the month that is hosted to promote the awareness of it, which is also preventative,” Willis said.

In honor of Denim Day and Sexual Assault Awareness Month, students, faculty and staff all around campus wore denim Wednesday to stand with sexual assault victims and debunk misconceptions about sexual violence.

To address misconceptions about sexual assault during Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Baylor’s Equity, Civil Rights and Title IX Office will be hosting Denim Day from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 24 at the SUB Stage.

Attendees of the “Bringing in the Bystander” event Wednesday afternoon took steps to end their roles as bystanders and make…

The problem isn’t resources. The problem is awareness and utilization of those resources. It is impossible to ignore the fact that, beyond the required video, the university is reaching an unacceptably small portion of the student population.

Going through victims’ stories has not only helped Talluri to realize how many people experience assault, but also how many people likely haven’t told their stories yet. Albrarran said unfortunately, assaults occur more often than most are willing to admit, with one in four women and one in six men experiencing assault in their lifetime.

According to the Annual Fire Safety and Security Report, which Baylor is required to publish annually on Oct. 1 as a result of the Clery Act, 25 sex offenses were reported on the main campus in 2019. In 2021, 30 offenses were reported — a 20% increase in two years.

Tevis, who oversees faculty and student training on civil rights and Title IX policies as well as awareness and prevention, said she wanted to plan an activity that students could “take to remind themselves and remind others.” The name of the event, Strong Foundations, came from the concept that students are strong and have a strong support system, a belief displayed through the symbolism of the painted rocks.

An alumna hopes to bring awareness to sexual assault by telling her own story of being assaulted when she was a Baylor student. The event will be at 8 p.m. Thursday in the lobby of Brooks Flats.

This event, which is happening during Sexual Assault Awareness Month, will focus on the current attitudes toward rape and try to encourage students who may have experienced sexual assault to report it.