10 a.m., March 12, 2010----The month of April has been designated as national Sexual Assault Awareness Month and the Sexual Assault Prevention Education Committee at the University of Delaware will present a campus-wide educational and awareness-building initiative.

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The committee will sponsor a variety of activities, including lectures, displays, marches and films in recognition of Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

Starting Monday, April 5, and running through Thursday, April 29, the scheduled events are intended to raise public awareness about sexual assault, educate the campus community on how to prevent sexual violence and show support for survivors. All events are free and open to the public.

More information and an up to date schedule is available at the Sexual Assault Awareness Month Web site.

Planning and support for Sexual Assault Awareness Month and on-going programs have been provided by the Center for Counseling and Student Development, ContactLifeLine, Greek Council, Haven, Inter-Fraternity Council, National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations, Office of Communications and Marketing, Office of Equity and Inclusion, Public Safety, Residence Life, Sexual Offense Support, Students Acting for Gender Equality, Student Centers, Student Conduct, Student Government Association, Student Life, VDay, Wellspring and Women's Studies.

Resource booths with free flyers, posters, ribbons, brochures and complimentary T-shirts will be open from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. every Monday in April at Kiosk B in the Trabant University Center.

Film series

The Sexual Assault Awareness Month film series will feature a screening at 6 p.m. each Wednesday through April in Room 006 Kirkbride Hall. The films are as follows:

April 7 -- Rape Is and Date Rape Backlash. Two short documentaries explore the meaning and consequences of rape. Rape Is looks at rape from a global and historical perspective, but focuses mainly on the domestic cultural conditions that make this human rights violation the most underreported crime in America. Date Rape Backlash critically examines how media portrayal of date rape evolved in the 1990s from an epidemic to feminist victim-oriented propaganda.

April 14 -- Speak. After a blurred trauma over the summer, Melinda (played by Twilight's Kristen Stewart) enters high school a selective mute. Struggling with school, friends and family, she tells the dark tale of her experiences, and why she has chosen not to speak. It is only through her work in art class with the help of her compassionate art teacher that she begins to reach out to others and eventually finds her own voice and inner strength.

April 21 -- Train Ride. Three college seniors harshly discover that a culmination of four years of hard work can lead to a permanent road to perdition after they decide to experiment with a "date rape" drug on a vulnerable, impressionable, and very attractive freshman girl. These actions, combined with the guilt, shame, anger and fear that follow take everyone involved on a different journey destined to spiral out of control.

April 28 -- Anonyma: Eine Frau in Berlin (in subtitles). Based on a diary first published in Germany in 1959 and credited simply to Anonyma, this film is about a woman's survival in occupied Berlin. A nameless woman writes pages for her husband, who apparently did not read them with sympathy, about the Soviet invasion of Berlin in 1945. The film details how she, and countless other women, keep themselves safe in a time of war and occupation.

Events

Sexual Assault Awareness Month activities are as follows:

April 5 -- 12:30-3:30 p.m., Sexual Assault Awareness Raising and Ribbon Distribution, Trabant University Center Patio. Help the University of Delaware kick off Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and come to the Trabant Patio to get a ribbon and show support for survivors of sexual assault. Sponsored by Students Acting for Gender Equality

April 6-7 -- 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., “A Walk In My Shoes” display, Trabant University Center Patio. ContactLifeline's Sexual Assault Network of Delaware presents the “A Walk In My Shoes” display. Each pair of shoes represents a Delaware survivor of assault or abuse. Many pairs bear the survivors' stories. Sponsored by ContactLifeline and Sexual Offense Support.

April 6 -- 4:30 p.m., Walk a Mile in Her Shoes March, Trabant University Center Patio kick-off (rain location Trabant Food Court). It is said that you cannot truly understand another person's experiences until you have "walked a mile in their shoes." Join male students, faculty and staff as they don four-inch stilettos to take this saying to heart. A limited number of men's sized high heel shoes are provided, but come early to reserve a pair for yourself for the march. Of course you are welcome to bring your own heels. For more information about the national campaign, see the Walk a Mile in Her Shoes Web site. Sponsored by Office of Equity and Inclusion, Inter-Fraternity Council, and Haven.

April 8 -- 7:30 p.m., “The Ability to Respond: How Men can Make a Difference,” with Terry Glenn Lilley, Trabant University Center Theater. Nationally recognized educator and anti-rape activist and now a graduate student at the University of Delaware, Lilley, speaks to the campus community about how men can help stop rape. Too often, sexual assault is defined as “a woman's problem.” As a result, sexual assault prevention is framed as a solution and typically falls squarely on women's shoulders and men are largely excused from the conversation. By exploring the difference between risk reduction and sexual assault prevention, this program will provide all participants information on what they can do to help end this crime. Sponsored by Students Acting for Gender Equality.

April 13 -- 7:30 p.m., “Get Up, Stand Up! Being a Courageous Bystander,” Room 223 Gore Hall. Have you ever heard a sexist or homophobic joke and wished you had confronted it? Have you witnessed someone name-calling or hitting another person? Or have you seen a woman passed out in a room at a house party after drinking, and a man goes in and closes the door? Were you left with the nagging feeling that someone should have intervened, yet getting involved felt too risky? According the Safe and Respectful.org Web site, a "courageous bystander" is someone who takes an active role in promoting a respectful environment, or who takes action to safely and responsibly interfere with abusive behaviors, statements, or attitudes. In reality, it is likely that more people agree with us than we think and if we take action, they will jump in to help. Come to this new S.O.S. program to learn how you can take an active role, be a courageous bystander, and possibly save someone from victimization and trauma. Sponsored by Sexual Offense Support.

April 15 -- 7:30 p.m., "I Am the Central Park Jogger: A Story of Hope and Possibility," with Trisha Meili, Trabant University Center Multipurpose Room A. On April 19, 1989, during a run in New York City's Central Park, Meili was viciously beaten, raped, bound, gagged and left for dead. Her story made headlines but for years she was only known as "the Central Park Jogger." This Ivy League educated, Wall Street banker responded to personal tragedy by shifting her thinking and actions, allowing her to move beyond being a victim, reclaim her life and become whole. She wrote the best-selling memoir, I am the Central Park Jogger: A Story of Hope and Possibility. Her story is about the capacity of the human body and spirit to heal. During this program, Meili will share lessons she learned during her recovery that allowed her to heal from this horrible tragedy. Her insights have encouraged people worldwide to overcome life's obstacles -- regardless of what they might be -- and get back on the road to life. Sponsored by Greek Nation and Sexual Offense Support.

April 18 -- 6 p.m., “How Does Sexual Assault Figure in the LGBTQ Community?” Room 209/11 of the Trabant University Center. Get information and statistics of same-gender sexual assault, and participate and watch the Haven executive board act out possible scenarios in order to learn how to address such behaviors or situations. Sponsored by Haven.

April 20 -- 6 p.m., “Yes Means Yes” with guest speaker Jessica Valenti, Room 100 Kirkbride Hall. On the National Day to End Sexual Violence, Valenti, a feminist writer and blogger, will dismantle commonly held beliefs about rape and propose a new path to understand and respect female sexual pleasure. Sponsored by VDay and Office of Equity and Inclusion.

April 29 -- 7:30 p.m., Take Back The Night: Rally, March and Speak Out, steps of Memorial Hall. Women all over the world have been shattering the silence around sexual assault and violence against women at Take Back The Night Marches for over 30 years now. Join fellow students at the University of Delaware as they “take back the night” and speak out about rape and violence on college campuses. Sponsored by Students Acting for Gender Equality.