The whirlwind of our country as the presidential election came to a close could not have provided a better backdrop for the “Walk a Mile in Their Shoes” event on Nov. 11, an event that is part of the “Enough is Enough” week on campus. The goal of the week-long campaign, sponsored by AVERT, is to raise awareness for sexual assault and violence.

AVERT, or Assault Violence Education Reporting Team, is a group on campus that supports education about assault and other sexual health issues as well as encourages a safe  environment for open conversation in the Saint Anselm College community, as sexual assault is a danger that plagues college campuses. One in four college women report surviving rape or attempted rape, but only a small percentage of those instances are reported to authorities.

Saint Anselm students, faculty, administration and staff came together to take the walk, with the option to wear opposite gendered footwear to show commitment to ending sexual violence. The event included presentations from different societies on campus and was meant to educate and provide information about sexual assault.

Lauren Batchelder ’19 said, “This is an emotional event, because it shows that people are willing to come together to make a statement that enough is enough.”

She continued, “It is time to end sexual assault and the stigma that comes with it.”

The event was organized this year by the co-chairs, seniors Brianna Berge and Kelsey Walsh, and the rest of the student committee including Erin Mahar, Cori Swanhart, Caroline Braverman, Tommy Royer, and Nick Fulchino.

Co-chair Brianna Berge describes the event as “an awareness event that allows the Saint Anselm community to come together and fight the issue of sexual assault on this campus and others.” She said, “This walk allows people to gain a new perspective about sexual assault.”

Dr. Joseph Horton, Vice President for Student Affairs, is a strong supporter of the event. “Walk a Mile in Their Shoes provides a great opportunity to encourage conversation about a very difficult topic,” he said. “It is a fun but serious educational event that helps men to better understand women’s experiences, changing perspectives, helping to improve gender relationships and decreasing the potential for violence.”

But the event is not only aimed toward those without personal knowledge of sexual violence—it is also meant to send a message to survivors.

“It informs the community that services are available for recovery,” Dr. Horton said.

He continued, “Perhaps most importantly, the program demonstrates that men are willing and able to be courageous partners, with women, in making the world a safer place. By walking for a mile in female footwear, men are symbolically reminded that sexual violence impacts not just women but the men who care about them.  This event is fundamentally about respect for each other.”

According to Berge, the event was once again a great success: “We had a great turnout of over 400 students. The presentations went well as well and people were very receptive to the variety of presentation types.”

Berge commented on the importance of the event, “Sexual assault goes unspoken about too often and it is everyone’s job to begin the dialogue about assault before we can stop it. One victim is too much, enough is enough, it is on us to stop sexual assault.”