This spring, one Student Government organization is focusing its lens on ending sexual violence on campus.
According to a study by the Association of American Universities, approximately one in four collegiate women will be victims of sexual violence. SG launched the University’s “We’re Committed” initiative in spring 2015 as a way to organize and simplify the anti-sexual violence resources on campus.
Student advocate Camille Faircloth said one of the organization’s goals is to create and maintain a community of respect among all University students.
“No one wants to talk about sexual violence because it has the word ‘sex’ in it and it makes people feel uncomfortable,” Faircloth said. “For a really long time, it’s kind of been shoved under the rug.”
For the spring semester, Faircloth said the organization’s goals are to reach out to fraternities and athletic departments.
“When it comes to sexual violence, sometimes the fraternities and male athletic departments get a bad reputation for that,” Faircloth said. “We really want to go to those organizations and talk about healthy relationships.”
The group is planning a “Walk A Mile in Her Shoes” event, in which men will walk a mile in heels to promote respect toward women and an end to sexual assault. Faircloth said she hopes to have the event finalized by next year.
Faircloth also said We’re Committed aims to reach out to many organizations across campus this semester instead of limiting itself to Greek Life.
“We don’t want to be like that because sexual violence is everywhere, and sexual violence doesn’t discriminate,” Faircloth said.
SG helped the We’re Committed campaign by making sexual violence a prominent topic of discussion on campus. Since We’re Committed was launched, Faircloth said, SG has supported the initiative by communicating the messages to its student body.
In addition to the help from SG, Faircloth said students across many different parts of campus have helped.
Vice president of LSU Law Students for Reproductive Justice and We’re Committed committee member Endya Hash focuses on the immediate needs of sexual assault victims. Hash said We’re Committed aims to empower survivors to report incidents and to make the University’s sexual assault policies easier to understand.
“I am currently working through these policies and meeting with Title IX coordinators to clear up gray areas,” Hash said. “If [students] are fully informed on confidentiality standards, they are more likely to feel confident about their decision to report.”
We’re Committed works with other campus organizations such as the Student Health Center, the LSU Women’s Center, and the Lighthouse Program to provide tools and support for victims of sexual violence.
Faircloth said Sierra Fowler from the Lighthouse Program and Summer Steib from the Women’s Center have been supportive of the initiative since its beginning.
“There are so many anti-sexual violence resources that LSU’s Student Government thought students were getting confused about where to go,” Faircloth said. “We’re Committed acts as a liaison between the student body and the many resources they can get.”
Faircloth said last semester was dedicated to spreading the word about the organization and making students aware of the resources available to them. We’re Committed Week, which took place Oct. 5-9, allowed the organization to spread awareness throughout the LSU community.
In the fall, the organization also partnered with sororities across campus to host events in Free Speech Plaza as part of its launch. The group delivered a call to action during the 29th annual Take Back the Night candlelight vigil in October.
We’re Committed also established a relationship with the LSU theatre department through its performance of “Good Kids,” which highlighted the 2012 Steubenville rape case.
“It’s a Student Government initiative, but anyone is welcome to jump on the train,” Faircloth said. “One person can’t end sexual violence on a campus with 30,000 people.”