Thursday’s Men Making a Difference event on Library Mall was truly laudable, offering men the opportunity to affix their handprints to a banner that read “These Hands Are Not For Hurting” in expression of their support for survivors of sexual assault. It was uplifting to see that many stopped to show their intolerance for these crimes.

Disappointing, however, was the fact that many did not.

Of all the petitioning and peddling of debatable causes on Library Mall, one would think that the efforts of Men Making a Difference should meet with unanimous support. There is no controversy here. There is no room for disagreement. Men Making a Difference pursues a mission that nobody may justly oppose.

This being so, the only explanations for all of the walk-on-bys on Thursday are selfishness, indifference, and cowardice. Selfishness: Holding two minutes of your time too dear to support a cause as undeniably worthy as stopping sexual assault. Indifference: Caring neither for those who have been victimized nor for those who will become victims. And cowardice.

Despite the fact that the paint washed off in warm water, if it’s somehow an embarrassment to attend a couple classes with smudged hands because of speaking out against a crime of such moral baseness as to rival murder … Well, that’s a scarlet letter that any man should wear with pride.

It must be admitted that the primary responsibility for stopping sexual assault on campus and in society lies with us men; the stigma among college-age males attached to open condemnation of sexual assault is simply senseless. Each and every one of us should take personal shame in the irrefutable fact that the vast majority of sexual violence of all degrees is perpetrated by males. Recognizing and acting on this is not a display of femininity. It is not an attempt to get in with the ladies. Rather, it is one of the defining aspects of manhood. Men do not rape. Men do not tolerate rape. Only animals rape.

Now, most of us never commit an overt act of sexual assault, but we are nonetheless culpable in our complacency. An open eye and ear reveal a culture of machismo that is far too lax when it comes to these issues of utmost gravity. Consider how often terms of sexual violence are used in order to communicate a rough exam sitting or the less than desirable outcome of a Brewers game. Then consider the physical, emotional, and psychological torment of those who actually live through it. Does it seem at all appropriate to use these terms as mere expressions, as “just a joke”?

If you think this to be bleeding-heart, P.C. whining, then that’s merely proof of your thoughtlessness.

The onus lies on us men to police ourselves, and if you’ve heard this all before, then hear it again, because some people still don’t get it. We must know better and be better than to fall into questionable situations. Drunken trysts are a fact of life at a campus that parties hard, but there are lines to be drawn.

If you see a buddy or lady friend or anybody becoming caught up in events, thump him on the skull or step in on her behalf. If you lack the fortitude to put your foot down out of consideration for the woman, then do it for his sake. He’ll probably never know how grateful he should be that you kept him out of a situation with the potential to destroy two lives. If you find yourself witnessing a sexual assault outright, you should know what to do, and if he was your friend at one point then you need to carefully reexamine that fact.

So, as Sexual Assault Awareness Month winds down, realize that small steps and a little bit of thought will go miles in helping to change perceptions, but that there is always more to be done. Realize also that sexual violence is not limited to that of men against women, and know that this issue is a horse still very much alive and demanding of beating.

Some are more familiar than others with the havoc that sexual assault can wreak on a life; I am fortunate that none of my friends or loved ones have suffered such a violation and hope that if one has or does, he or she can find the courage to come forward with the accusation. Sexual assault is something that nobody should experience. It is something that we must all seek to eliminate.

William Conti is a junior majoring in philosophy.