What is SAAM?
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month! UWM, with support from the community, is committed to creating a space and a dialogue for sexual assault prevention as well as for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence.
Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) is a campaign to raise public awareness about sexual violence and educate communities on how to prevent it. The UWM community has a longstanding history of coming together during the month of April to support survivors, speak out against rape culture, and raise awareness of systemic issues that allow sexual assault to persist so predominantly in our society.
Although our campus has changed, the need for community is stronger than ever. This is the time for us to gather in new and creative ways, to celebrate our strengths, and continue stand in solidarity with and support survivors.
We encourage everyone to participate in the events highlighted in this year’s SAAM calendar and to stay connected with each of our campus partners on social media!
Sexual Assault Awareness Month 2022
- Tuesday April 5th – You Can Help! Prevent Sexual and Relationship Violence @3-5pm Union room W181
- Wednesday April 6th – Teal Takeover Meet at the LGBTQ+ Resource Center @4-5:30
- Thursday April 7th – Bandana Project @WRC from 11am-12pm
- Monday April 11th – Healthy Relationships-Just Between Us @KIRC Room 1180 from 3-4:30pm
- Wednesday April 13th – Denim Day (Design Your Own Patch) @Union Concourse from 11am-2pm
- Tuesday April 19th – The Distinguished Lecture Series Presents: Aly Raisman @7pm in the UWM Ballroom
- Wednesday April 20th – Frame by Frame: Loving Yourself @Selfie Hop Museum from 2pm-4pm Registration Required
- April 25-29th – Go-Bags for Survivors @Various locations
- Wednesday, April 5th, 11th & 25th – What were you wearing? @9am-2pm UWM Union Concourse
- Wednesday April 27th – Survivor Support and Wellness Fair @11-1pm UWM Union Concourse
- Thursday April 28th – Survivor Support Sign Making @1-5pm in the WRC
- Friday April 29th – Take Back The Night @7-8pm in the Union Concourse
Events Calendar
View the Events Calendar for more information on all SAAM events.
Resources
UWM Campus Resources
- Confidential Victim Advocate:
UWM’s Confidential Survivor Support and Victim Advocacy services continue to be available remotely to students who have experienced sexual, domestic, or relationship violence. UWM’s confidential victim advocate helps survivors understand and navigate their options and can provide emotional support, as well as legal, academic, and medical advocacy. The advocate can assist in locating and connecting students to online resources as well as resources in their community.For services or questions, please contact the advocate confidentially by phone at 414-229-4582 or send an email to victimadvocacy@uwm.edu. - Title IX Information – Get Help and Learn Your Options
- Dean of Students – Make a Report
Off-Campus and Community Resources
Statistics related to sexual assault
- As of 1998, about 1 out of 6 women and 1 out of 33 men in the United States have report having experienced completed or attempted rape at some point in their lives*.
- About half (51.1%) of female victims of rape reported being raped by an intimate partner and 40.8% by an acquaintance. Over half (52.4%) of male victims report being raped by an acquaintance and 15.1% by a stranger†.
- As of 2015, 47% of transgender people reported having experienced sexual assault: 51% of transgender men, 37% of transgender women, and 55% of nonbinary people§.
- 44% of lesbians and 61% of bisexual women experience rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner, compared to 35% of straight women‡.
- 26% of gay men and 37% of bisexual men experience rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner, compared to 29% of straight men‡.
Sources: *https://www.rainn.org/statistics/victims-sexual-violence, †https://www.nsvrc.org/statistics, ‡https://www.hrc.org/resources/sexual-assault-and-the-lgbt-community, §https://www.ustranssurvey.org/reports
What is consent?
- Freely given – decision is made by all participants without pressure, force, manipulation, or while drunk or high
- Reversible – anyone can change their mind about what they want to do at any time, even if you’ve done it before or are in the middle of sex
- Informed – be honest. for example, if someone says they’ll use a condom and then they don’t, that’s not consent
- Enthusiastic – if someone isn’t excited, or really into it, that’s not consent
- Specific – saying yes to one thing (like going to the bedroom to make out) doesn’t mean they’ve said yes to others (like oral sex)
Information from Planned Parenthood
Consent 101:
- People can change their minds
- Body language is always important – if someone looks uncomfortable, they probably are
- Don’t manipulate or pressure your partner into having sex/participating in sexual activities
- No means no
- Communicate
Consent from an asexual perspective:
SAAM Book Recommendations
- Ace: What Asexuality Reveals about Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex by Angela Chen
- Aly Raisman: How Competing For Myself Changed Everything Fierce
- I’m Saying No! by Beverly Engel
- The Beginning and End of Rape: Continuing Sexual Violence in Native America by Sarah Deer
- Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley (adult fiction)
- The Music of What HAppens by Bill Konigsberg (YA)
- Saints and Misfits by S.K. Ali (YA)
Campus Partners
Thank you to all of those on campus who came together for SAAM:
The Women’s Resource Center @uwmwrc
Norris Health Center – Health Promotion & Wellness @uwm_wellness
Campus Activities Board @cab_uwm
Student Involvement and Fraternity/Sorority @dostuffUWM
Inclusive Excellence Center @uwmiec
Gamma Phi Beta Sorority @gammaphibetauwm
Student Association at UWM @uwm_sa
The Military and Veterans Resource Center (MAVRC) @uwmmavrc
LGBTQ+ Resource Center @uwmlgbtqrc
Black Student Cultural Center @uwm_bscc
Additional thanks to: University Counseling Services, Norris Health Promotion and Wellness and Survivor Support and Victim Advocacy