On Thursday, April 24, students watched on as men stumbled around campus in red high heels and flip flops. This painful mile was done in part of Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, a movement designated to stop rape, sexual assault and gender violence through awareness and community engagement.
The month of April serves as Sexual Assault Awareness Month, a time in which colleges, organizations and advocacy groups across the country gather for a variety of events to uplift survivors and champion awareness. This past month, the University has witnessed several protests, discussions and panels hosted by a variety of clubs and offices.
This solidarity walk’s proceeds benefited the Delaware County Victim Assistance Center, which provides counseling, education, advocacy and accompaniment.
Walk a Mile in Her Shoes is part of a larger event that takes place on several campuses, and is not unique to Villanova. However, the decision to host it on campus brought out many new participants eager to join the cause.
The event was co-sponsored by the Title IX office, SAPA, Alpha Chi Omega, Office of Health promotion, One Love Club, Public Safety and Lambda Chi.
Students began by checking in at the Riley Ellipsis and getting their pair of red heels. After check in, attention was directed to the Oreo for some opening remarks.
Organizers of the event shared the intent behind the activity, and statistics on the prevalence of sexual assault, especially on college campuses. While not all were participants, the entire center of campus’ attention was directed towards the event. Onlookers stopped to watch as the men gathered at the starting line. The event also welcomed Taffy, the campus’s support canine, and had both snacks and T-shirts for participants.
In the background of the event, T-shirts were strung across in honor of the Clothesline Project. The purpose of this demonstration was to serve as a visual representation of support for sexual violence survivors.
Junior Kate Contey, the president of Villanova’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Organization spoke to The Villanovan about the event and its significance.
“To describe my experience with Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, I would say it’s very impactful and honestly it was life-changing.” Contey said. “This is such an important event that goes on campus.”
Contey also highlighted the other events that occurred during Sexual Assault Awareness month, and the hard work of the various organizations involved. She also emphasized how excited she was about the turnout from the University, and the enthusiasm and support shown all month-long.
“It is not just one event that needs to occur to show and make change,” Contey said. “If there is a constant effort of making a difference and making small changes on this campus, there will eventually be big change in the end.”
As students completed the treacherous mile, they were met with cheers and celebration from onlookers and organizers. The event was an ultimate success, and students who are interested in other events as Sexual Assault Awareness Month comes to a close can find more information from the Title IX office or SAPA’s Instagram page.
