UAFS Students Support Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Written By: Ian Silvester

The University of Arkansas – Fort Smith has a full slate of Sexual Assault Awareness Month events geared towards building relationships and bringing awareness to a topic that has unfortunately impacted far many individuals.

To start the April slate, a feminine product drive launched on Monday, April 3, and will conclude on Friday, April 14. There are three drop-off locations around the UAFS campus, Baldor Technology Center WATC Office, Flanders 2nd-floor “fishbowl”, and the Boreham Library lobby.

The kickoff event, SAAM Day of Action, was held on Tuesday, April 4. Students, faculty, and staff were encouraged to wear teal and given ribbons to help raise awareness of the prevalence of the problem, and send a visual signal of their commitment to ending sexual assault.

The full slate of events is as follows:

• Wednesday, April 5: UAFS Athletics hosts Marvin Lockett II, M.Ed, as he leads a sexual assault prevention seminar from 7-8 p.m. 
  The event is free and open to students, faculty, and staff.
• Wednesday, April 5, and Thursday, April 6: Stop by the Smith-Pendergraft Campus Center fireplace from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to paint “encouragement rocks” with hopeful and caring messages on rocks to be placed in visible locations around UAFS.
• Tuesday, April 11: Consent is key! Grab a cupcake and information on consensual relationships from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Smith-Pendergraft Campus Center fireplace.
• Wednesday, April 12:  Men of Excellence and Title IX host campus and city police for a sexual assault prevention panel at 5:30 p.m. at the Windgate Theatre.
• Monday, April 17: The Native American Student Association (NASA) brings awareness to the thousands of Indigenous women who have gone missing. NASA will host a ceremony and march starting at 11 a.m. at the Bell Tower.
• Tuesday, April 18: IDEAL Women and other organizations and clubs will be on the Campus Green from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. with information on SAAM.
• Tuesday, April 18: Wear comfortable clothes and be prepared to become empowered! From 3-5:30 p.m., Gracie Jiu Jitsu will host a free women’s self-defense course and empowerment seminar in the Smith-Pendergraft Reynolds Room.
• Friday, April 21: Wear teal to the UAFS Teal Tailgate starting at 11:30 a.m. at the Stubblefield back patio before the 1 p.m. first pitch as UAFS takes on the University of Texas Permian Basin.
• Wednesday, April 26: Bring your favorite pair of jeans or denim jacket to be bedazzled in support of SAAM. Bedazzling will occur at the Bell Tower from 10 a.m. to noon.

• Tags:
• Title IX
• Men of Excellence
• Native American Student Association
• SAAM
• IDEAL Women
• Athletics
• Sexual Assault Awareness
• Events