Contact: Allison Matthews
STARKVILLE, Miss.--Mississippi State students, faculty and staff are observing National Campus Safety Awareness Month and joining the "Safe Campus, Strong Voices" campaign to promote awareness and shatter the silence of college sexual violence.
The September observance features the National Clothesline Project this Tuesday through Thursday [Sept. 27-29] on the MSU Drill Field from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.
The university will also facilitate "Get Carded Day" on the 29th to hand out informative cards with safety tips.
Beatrice Tatem, director of Outreach and Sexual Assault Services, said the campaign focuses on prevention of sexual assault and raising awareness of the high level of underreporting by victims of these crimes.
"We are working along with MSU Police, as well as many student organizations which provide the volunteer base that we need," Tatem said.
The United States Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women and the Mississippi Coalition Against Sexual Assault also lend support.
Tatem said efforts to bring awareness to these issues are under way nationwide. At MSU, the September campaign is the first major event of ongoing awareness activities throughout the school year, including "Walk a Mile in Her Shoes" and "Take Back the Night," both of which take place in the spring.
"At Mississippi State, we take these issues very seriously, and we constantly strive to bring awareness and understanding to our university and community," Tatem said.
For more, visit www.strongvoicescampaign.org. For more information about Mississippi State University, see www.msstate.edu.