*TRIGGER WARNING: Sexual Assault will be discussed in this episode. If you feel this topic will be distressing to you, we invite you to join us in the next episode.
In America, 13% of all college students- male and female- experience some form of sexual violence. Although this may seem like a small percentage, each person that makes up this number has experienced life-altering trauma, and it doesn't even begin to encompass those who were too afraid to speak about their experience. It also doesn't encompass the 23.1% of TGQN (transgender, genderqueer, nonconforming) college students who have been sexually assaulted either. Those who are hesitant have a good reason for their feelings: many are conditioned to believe their experience is a personal matter and must be dealt with on their own or they don't feel anything will come out of going to the police besides pain or retaliation. With issues like this affecting so many of our fellow students and many who feel it's too taboo to discuss, we wanted to bring light to this topic in hopes it will spark a conversation that will bring change not only to our campus but also to others across the country. We have two very special guests for this episode: Grace Stoops, President of SHOO (Sexual Health Organization and Outreach) and senior sociology major and biology minor, Meghan Varner who is involved in No Woman Left Behind, \"a bystander intervention program created by women for women and the men who care about them\". In this episode, our hosts Summer Johnson and Xit Gonzalez uncover truths about sexual assault at the University of Arkansas and how our university has handled this situation. They speak with Grace and Meghan to spread awareness of the issue and discuss possible solutions that can bring justice and solidarity to past and present victims while also thinking of ways to prevent sexual assault altogether in the future.
Check out the resources offered by both SHOO and No Woman Left Behind.
All statistics were found on rainn.org. RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) is the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization. It operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline, which can be found on their website. It is free, 24/7, and 100% confidential.
https://www.rainn.org/
Thank you for listening. We'll see you in the next episode!