Spring Hill College’s Public Safety and Residence Life are hosting Sexual Assault Awareness events on Tuesday, April 10, through Thursday, April 12.

The three days of activities will include signing a pledge to curb incidents of sexual assault at SHC. People that sign the pledge will receive a teal ribbon (teal is the color for Sexual Assault Awareness) to wear throughout the week, and will be invited to listen to guest speakers.  There will also be a screening of “The Hunting Ground,” a documentary film about sexual assault on college campuses, on April 11. On Thursday, Sexual Assault Awareness will conclude with the Clothesline Project, where people can talk about their experiences or write words of encouragement to survivors of sexual assault.  

According to SHC’s 2016 Annual Security and Fire Safety report, there were two forcible sexual offenses reported in 2016, three reported in 2015 and nine reported in 2014, all which took place on SHC’s campus. To read more about the campus’ safety statistics, this report is available in the Public Safety office, located in the Lucey Administrative Center. One can also request that a copy be mailed to them by calling 251-380-3096.

According to the Association of American Universities, in 2015, 23 percent of 89,115 women at 27 institutions were sexually assaulted while in college. A similar study by the National Institute of Justice showed that 25 percent of 15,000 women were sexually assaulted at nine institutions in 2016.

SHC Area Coordinator Joan Wilson said, “We will be partnering with the Alabama Rape Crisis Center and Laury Rowland, a former Public Safety employee.”  Laury Rowland will be a guest speaker at the event. SHC’s Panhellenic will also help host the events.