New York State Lt. Governor Robert J. Duffy will join President Stephen C. Ainlay, members of the national championship men’s hockey team and student leaders Tuesday, Oct. 7, at 2:30 p.m. in the Nott Memorial to raise awareness of sexual assault and domestic violence.
October is recognized nationally and in New York State as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Duffy will discuss the state’s awareness and prevention efforts and commend Union and its students for their efforts to make a difference. Student leaders will issue a challenge to their peers on campus and their Division I and Division III rivals across the country.
The event is open to the campus community.
The College recently joined with nearly 200 colleges and universities to participate in a national public-service campaign, “It’s On Us,” aimed at preventing sexual assault on college campuses.
The campaign, launched by President Obama and Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., hopes to fundamentally shift the way sexual assault is viewed on campuses “by inspiring everyone to see it as their responsibility to do something, big or small, to prevent it.”
One in five women will be sexually assaulted while in college, many of them during their first year by someone they know, according to the White House. Enlisting the support of major college sports leagues and prominent celebrities, the campaign will put a greater emphasis on motivating college men to get involved.
This week, the new student-led committee, the Committee on Consent Education and Awareness hosted Sexual Assault Awareness Week with a series of events across campus.
The College is also expanding its Bystander Intervention Program, which enlists and trains members of the campus community to intervene in situations where sexual harassment or sexual violence appear imminent.
Begun last spring, the program will train student leaders who represent athletic teams, Greek organizations and other campus groups. The men’s hockey team recently became the first team to undergo training.