April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. As many as 1 in 3 women and nearly 1 in 6 men will experience sexual assault by the time they reach graduation, and students holding historically marginalized identities experience higher rates of violence.
Sexual violence affects every person in our community. Keeping our community safe is made possible through shared responsibility for creating safe, equitable spaces in which sexual violence is not acceptable.
This spring, UHS Survivor Services and Violence Prevention invite student survivors, allies, and campus partners to join us in continuing our work toward a safe, supportive, and survivor-centered campus community.
Connect & Reflect
Throughout the spring semester, UHS Survivor Services and Violence Prevention will host a series of “Connect & Reflect” events, which invite student survivors and allies to reclaim campus, find community with other survivors and allies, and reduce the stigma around survivorship.
The “Connect” events will provide spaces for shared healing, growth, and self-expression for student survivors and allies to grow together. The series will culminate in April with the “Reflect” exhibit, featuring a historical review of significant moments in campus sexual assault advocacy, alongside art created by student survivors.
Preview upcoming Connect & Reflect events below, and visit the Connect & Reflect webpage for more information.
- Crafty Coping Community
Wednesdays, February 7 – May 1, 3 – 4:30pm
333 East Campus Mall, Room 7001 - Art Evening with Wheelhouse Studios and UHS Survivor Services
Thursday, March 14, 3 – 6pm
Wheelhouse Studios - Embodied Resilience with UHS Survivor Services: A Survivor-Centered Dance/Movement Therapy Workshop
Friday, April 5, 1 – 3pm
Bakke, Serenity Studio (Second Floor) - Trauma-informed Yoga with UHS Survivor Services and Insight Counseling
Friday, April 19, 1 – 3 pm
Bakke, Serenity Studio (Second Floor) - Collective ARTivism Project: Denim Day
Wednesday, April 24, 2 – 5pm
Library Mall - Reflect: Art and History Gallery
April 1 – 30
Discovery Building Hub Central and Image Lab Galleries (First Floor)
Other ways you can get involved to support violence prevention on campus
Join a student organization working to prevent violence and support student survivors on campus:
- PAVE is dedicated to preventing sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking through education and activism.
- Sex Out Loud promotes healthy sexuality through sex-positive education and activism.
- EmBark unites survivors of sexual assault and dating violence with the shelter animal of their choice.
Build skills to prevent violence before it occurs:
- GetWIse@Home offers four online violence prevention programs to choose from, including DatingWIse (healthy relationships and dating violence), SexWIse (healthy sex and sexual violence), ListenWIse (trauma and survivor support), and ActWIse (recognizing violence and bystander intervention).
- Safer Bar is a bystander intervention education program for campus students and staff who work at alcohol-serving establishments. Anyone who works at an alcohol-serving establishment is welcome to attend. Thursday, April 11, 5 – 7pm | PAVE Office at 333 E. Campus Mall, Suite 3147.
Attend other events and programs for Sexual Assault Awareness Month:
- Keep an eye out for other events throughout the month hosted by student organizations and campus partners, including a Self-Care Night and Survivor Love Letters (hosted by PAVE).
Year-Round Survivor Support and Resources through UHS
UHS supports student survivors through coordinated advocacy, mental health, and medical services—including forensic nurse exams on-site—that are no-cost and confidential. It is not uncommon for survivors to be unsure how to label their experience or identify what they need. Our Survivor Services team is prepared to validate your experience, to share information and resources available to you—like referrals, accommodations, and reporting options—and empower the decisions you make about your care.
Students can schedule an appointment to talk with an advocate and learn about their options by emailing survivorservices@uhs.wisc.edu, calling 608-265-5600 (option 3), or self-scheduling via the MyUHS portal.
Learn more about UHS Survivor Services on our website.