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UW launches new phase of sexual assault prevention campaign

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Students may soon be more aware of sexual assault, if a new phase of a student-developed campaign is successful.

University Health Services and Dane County have launched the second phase of a campaign, which is designed to spread awareness about what they call a universal problem.

The first in a series of posters, “I Have the Courage, We Have the Power to Stop Sexual Assault,” were put up on buses and around campus this week.

Several campus groups are taking part in the campaign, which includes a campus-wide voluntary survey regarding attitudes of sexual assault. Results from the survey will be used for intervention efforts in the future.

The posters feature men who belong to organizations that are against sexual assault. One of these men is Austin King of the group Men Opposing Sexual Assault.

“Overwhelmingly, it is men that perpetrate and facilitate this crime, so it is incumbent upon us to take an active part in its elimination,” he said. “This involves creating a more compassionate culture for survivors of sexual assault, debunking the many myths and stigmas associated with the crime, and battling out culture’s pervasive sexism that often justifies or excuses such a terrible act.”

New posters will come out in April, featuring the organization Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment. PAVE is sponsoring a variety of activities for the campaign, including speakers and meeting spaces for sexual assault victims and protestors.

Angela Rose, PAVE founder and sexual assault survivor, is featured on the final poster, along with Jaime Gamez of MOSA. The poster’s message is that men and women are working together to prevent assaults.

“I became involved with the issues of sexual assault my senior year in high school,” Gamez said. “Since then, I have continued to be an advocate for awareness and prevention of these crimes.”

In addition to Dane County and UHS, the campaign’s sponsors include UW-Madison University Police, the chancellor’s office, and the Dean of Students’ office.