Two years ago, University Counselor Mary Hamilla and a group of students held an event at the fountain in College Park. At this gathering, according to International Justice Mission President, McKensie Sanders, a student shared her experience with sexual assault (SA) with the rest of the group. Afterward, the group wrote messages on sticky notes and placed them on the fountain and walked around and read them.

Sanders explained that this was the only event at Waynesburg University that has recognized sexual assault, saying, “I thought it was a really nice way to build awareness and get people together to talk about the cause.”

Now inspired by the past event, Sanders said she is working to plan and host a similar experience to create awareness about SA for people on campus. This event will be in recognition of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, which will take place on April 16, at 3 p.m. at the flagpole behind the Stover Center.

To plan the event, Sanders worked with Hamilla.  “We called it Break the Silence because that’s kind of what it is,” Sanders said. “There’s a huge stigma around sexual assault and rape, where a lot of people are afraid to speak up because of criticism. A lot of people like to blame the victim.”

Sanders explained that the event will be “a completely judgment free zone.” She said that anyone with an experience with SA is more than welcome to either share in person or submit an anonymous story that will be read out to the group. For those who would like to share anonymously, Sanders said that they should write out their story and drop it in the mail room drop box in an envelope marked “IJM.” She explained that this way, there will be no person to person contact and the writers can remain completely anonymous.

To begin the event, Hamilla, who has a background in sexual assault services, counseling and trauma, will provide background and context, before turning the event over to Sanders and two club officers, Mia Baranowski and Mathew Shank. At this time, the attendees will be allowed to share their stories, which, according to Sanders, will take up the bulk of the event. Finally, to close out the session, attendees will have the opportunity to write messages for those who shared, or notes in general about what they took away from the session.

Hamilla, who has hosted SA groups on campus before, explained that victims of SA are often made to feel shameful and at fault for what happened to them. So, breaking the secrecy of abuse is “the first and most important part of the healing process.”

However, the event is not just open to those who may want to share their stories. According to Sanders, anyone who wants to provide support or educate themselves about the topic is also welcome. She said, “The only thing we ask is that they come with an open mind to hear these stories.”

Hamilla explained that the goal of the event is to educate people about the prevalence of sexual violence and to provide a place for people to fellowship and give this aspect of their lives the attention it deserves. For those who may feel self-conscious about attending, Hamilla said, “Even if anyone is scared, I would still encourage them to come. Dealing with something like this is hard, especially if you’re dealing with this alone.” She also said that being surrounded by people with shared experiences and understanding can be extremely empowering.

Regarding the importance of the event, Sanders said,  “Because I know how scary it can be sharing your story and sharing it in front of a bunch of people. So I wanted to give people a chance to share their story, to feel empowered and heard, and give students a chance, who aren’t very aware about the subject to hear the stories and understand how big of an issue it is and how much of an impact it has on people.”

According to an informational card provided by IJM, one in five women in the U.S. experience completed or attempted rape in their lifetime while 24.8% of men in the U.S. experience some form of sexual violence in their lifetime.  

To find out more, contact McKensie Sanders at mckensie.sanders@student.waynesburg.edu.