Although the program is mandatory for freshmen and transfer students, many students skip the workshop.

At the workshop Petersen led last week, I was one of only two students who showed up.

Petersen said my workshop was especially small, and usually the program has higher attendance. But the low turnout still baffled me.

If we want to prevent sexual assault and relationship violence, we need to acknowledge it within our community and educate ourselves.

Even President Barack Obama acknowledged his support for the prevention of the crime at his weekly address last week.

“We’ve got your back,” Obama said in his speech, reaching out to survivors. “I’ve got your back.”
But even with the university requiring students to attend a program recognizing sexual assault and relationship violence and the leader of the free world acknowledging the importance of preventing such crimes, many students here seem to be uninterested.

Before I went, I didn’t realize how much I didn’t know about the subject, which is why I encourage everyone to attend the class. Seriously. Don’t skip it.

At the workshop, instructors emphasized the importance of everyone learning more about sexual violence, regardless of their gender or age.

Both men and women can be affected by sexual violence, and even though statistics from the workshop show women are more likely to experience it, sometimes those statistics are skewed because cases go unreported.

Even if you don’t think you’ll be directly involved in a sexual assault, wouldn’t you still want to know what to say do if one of your friends was?

At the workshop, the instructors discussed what to do if a friend comes to you.

“I believe you. I support you. It’s not your fault.”

It is important for us to take the time to learn how to support each other, because these cases are all too common.

“A lot of people are clueless about what it looks like, how often it occurs and what they can do about it,” Petersen said, emphasizing the importance of everyone taking the workshop seriously.
“It’s something people aren’t taught.”

Although I actually took more away from the program by getting a more individualized lesson with only two people and the instructor we had ample amount of time to get to know each other — small classes like that can’t become the norm if it means students aren’t being educated about how to handle these types of incidents.

Nutritional science sophomore Kenzie Clark, who also instructs the program, said that when students attend the workshops, they learn from both their instructors and peers.

“Even in workshops with 70 people, it’s still a conversation,” Clark said.

The workshop was so eye-opening for Clark last year that it even motivated her to take a position as an instructor.

“When I first attended my workshop as a freshman, I really liked the message,” she said. “But I was really angry that this was a real thing and I wanted to do my part and make a difference in every way I could. I knew the best way I could do that was by becoming a SARV educator. It’s the best way to touch a wide audience of people.”

But even if you don’t think you’ll end up being an instructor after, at least take the time to go to the class and learn the basics. It’s two hours out of your semester, which in the grand scheme of things really isn’t that much time.

“It’s everybody’s issue, and if everybody pays a little more attention to it, we can create so much good, positive change,” Clark said.

Sierra Lay is a State News staff reporter. Reach her at sierra.lay@statenews.com.