Sexual Assault Awareness Month Recognized

The San Bernardino Community College District (SBCCD) Board of Trustees approved a resolution recognizing April 2014 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month, acknowledging that the naming of such a month was intended to draw attention to the facts that sexual violence is widespread and that such brutality impacts every member of our District and Inland Empire communities. Board President Donna Ferracone noted that the Resolution recited horrendous statistics, “Nearly one in five women will be a victim of sexual assault during college. For some groups, the rates of violence are even higher -- Native American women are more than twice as likely to experience sexual assault as the general population. In addition, rape and sexual assault are consistently underreported, and that the physical and emotional trauma they leave behind can last for years.” And SBCCD Chancellor Bruce Baron said that the Resolution specified responsibilities for the leadership of the SBCCD: “We believe that we must work together to educate our community about sexual violence prevention, by supporting survivors and speaking out against harmful attitudes and actions, and that educational institutions such as ours have a primary responsibility to assist the community in doing so.” Both colleges within the SBCCD, San Bernardino Valley College and Crafton Hills College, hosted events to commemorate the Month and to help raise awareness of sexual assault and violence concerns on and off campus. In addition to speakers and presentations, both institutions are hosting The Clothesline Project, a visual display that bears witness to the violence against women. During the public display, a clothesline is hung with shirts. Each shirt is decorated to represent a particular woman's experience, by the survivor herself or by someone who cares about her. The purpose is to bear witness to the survivors as well as the victims of the war against women, to help with the healing process for people who have lost a loved one or are survivors of this violence, to educate, document and raise society's awareness of the extent of the problem of violence against women, and to provide a nationwide network of support and encouragement. At Crafton Hills College, students can still Create a Shirt for the Clothesline: Shirts and materials will be available from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. on each Wed. in April, at the LRC, Bookstore, Quad and Student Life. You may design a shirt at the time, take a shirt home and return it later, or use a t-shirt from home. Both schools flew relevant banners on campus all month and hosted on-campus events, including discussions on Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention presented with the SBCCD Police Department, Breaking the Chains of Silence, a rape survivor tells her story, Sexual Assault and Social Media, presented by San Bernardino Sexual Assault Services, Speak Out and Stand Up: Video and discussion regarding date rape, alcohol and consent, and more, also with the SBCCD Police Department. Crafton Hills College also addressed the topic of Teen Dating Abuse as presented by the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Dept. of Public Affairs, exploring the sources of dating abuse, the misery and after-effects of violence from a loved one, and the cycle of violence. On April 30: Crafton Hills College will present “Speak Out and Stand Up: Raising Awareness of Sexual Assault”, in LRC-226. The video presentation will be facilitated by campus staff for an interactive discussion to help raise awareness about date rape, alcohol and consent, men's role in stopping assault, and more.