General | 4/16/2019 12:00:00 PM

    WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The month of April has been designated as Sexual Assault Awareness Month 2019 (SAAM 2019) and for the third straight year, West Liberty University's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) is joining with SAACs nationwide over the next two days to promote awareness on the issue of sexual violence on college campuses.
    Sexual Assault Awareness Month is celebrating its 18th anniversary in 2019 with the theme "I Ask." One month alone isn't enough to solve the serious and widespread issue of sexual violence, but the attention April generates provides an opportunity to energize and expand prevention efforts throughout the year.
    West Liberty's SAAC plans to shine a spotlight on this problem through an intense two-day social media campaign. On Wednesday and Thursday, the group is asking all Hilltopper student-athletes to join the initiative by posting to any and all of their social media accounts about the need to work together as a community to better educate people about sexual violence and available resources.
    Posts can range from team and group photos to short video clips of an individual making a statement in support of SAAM 2019. West Liberty SAAC members are reaching out campus-wide to provide materials and resources. Here are some guidelines to follow for maximum impact on social media posts:
    COLOR: The color associated with SAAC 2019 is teal. That's the primary shade of blue-green seen in the graphics announcing the event. It is strongly encouraged that all campaign posts include the color teal
    HASHTAG: Make sure to include the hashtag #StudentAthletesinAction in all social media posts. Since this is a national campaign, posts are easier to find and retweet if there is a consistent hashtag across all social media platforms
    STATISTICS: The numbers surrounding sexual assault on college campuses are very effective ways to communicate the scale of the problem and the urgency of the issue. Here are some examples:

• Every 98 seconds, another American woman (or man) is sexually assaulted
• One in 6 American women will be subjected to an attempted or completed rape during her lifetime
• One in 33 American men will be subjected to an attempted or completed rape during his lifetime
• College-age women (18-24) are 3 to 4 times more likely to experience sexual assault than any other age group
• Data from a National College Health Assessment survey found that 14 percent of female student-athletes and 5 percent of male student-athletes have experienced sexual violence within the past 12 months
• Only 1 in 5 female sexual violence survivors ages 18-24 reported their assault to law enforcement. Research showed that college women were LESS likely to report their assault than non-college women

    Sexual Assault Awareness Month 2019 is about more than awareness — the ultimate goal is prevention. Since consent is a clear, concrete example of what it takes to end sexual harassment, abuse, and assault, it only made sense that this year's theme center on empowering all of us to put consent into practice.
    That's the goal of the "I Ask" campaign. As individuals come together to share this message throughout our campus community, they demonstrate the importance of consent and set an example for their partners, friends, and loved ones as we all look forward to living in a world free from sexual violence.