Volunteers were stationed in residence halls throughout the day, seeking to inform students about what specifically constitutes sexual assault in the first place.
“Since MSU, like other educational institutions, is expected to comply with the expectations under Title IX, we wanted to raise awareness,” said Paulette Granberry Russell, MSU’s Title IX coordinator. “Particularly with respect to the roles that Title IX plays in heightening people’s understanding of these issues.”
April is stocked full of events, all with the goal of shedding light on the issues surrounding sexual assault. The event calendar ranges from male panels on rape culture to a film screening to a candlelight vigil for crime victims statewide later in the month.
Enforced by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, or OCR, Title IX is geared toward protecting anyone at an educational institution that receives federal funding from sex-based discrimination.
OCR officials revealed in February that the office is currently investigating MSU for its handling of three sexual assault complaints.
At the time, Granberry Russell told The State News that university officials are doing everything in their power to address the situation.
Human development and family studies sophomore Ajeé Hurst said the work the university is doing with Title IX is commendable. She said she’s glad she can see MSU is trying to make some changes, but there’s always room for improvement.
She said she would like to see a decrease in the response time taken by university officials to get in touch with survivors.
“It’s something near and dear to my heart,” Hurst said. “It’s getting the information out there to the public and that’s the first step.”
Shari Murgittroyd, Coordinator of the MSU Sexual Assault Program, said one of the program’s goals throughout the month is to help kick-start national conversation about sexual violence.
Murgittroyd said her hope for the program, which gathers student vo lunteers each semester, is to send those students out of MSU after graduation to take the knowledge and awareness they’ve learned out into the world.
“It’s important for students to understand the dynamics around sexual assault and social norms that condone sexual assault,” Murgittroyd said.
Secondary education sophomore Megan Wesner said the work the university has done is a good start in addressing the issues that have been highlighted.
But Wesner doesn’t think it’s an end-all solution.
“It’s a temporary cure to a much bigger problem,” Wesner said. “I’m really bummed at the way the university treats sexual assault.”
But Granberry Russell said Title IX’s goal is to inform the campus community, students faculty and staff, residents, businesses and law enforcement of the resources available and measures bystanders and survivors can take in the event of an assault.
“I’m better prepared to say to my children, ‘These are the things that you need to be aware of,’” Granberry Russell said.
For Murgittroyd, keeping people informed is the only way to inspire cultural transformation.
“Education is key to changing the culture that we live in,” Murgittroyd said.
