NEWS

NEWBERRY — Newberry College will host a series of events throughout April to raise awareness of sexual assault and human trafficking.

“College provides a unique time for education, engagement and transformation,” said Dr. Carrie Caudill, associate professor of psychology and event organizer. “When college students learn about the prevalent nature of sexual violence, their insight provokes action. Newberry College is committed to educating and fundraising for the prevention and treatment of sexual assault.”

Approximately 13% of undergraduates nationwide are victims of non-consensual sexual contact, according to a survey by the Association of American Universities, last taken in 2019. However, sexual assaults often go underreported, so that number is likely higher.

The events scheduled during Sexual Assault Awareness Month will provide support and advocacy for students, spread awareness of available resources, and spark conversations that educate and facilitate change. 

Schedule of Events:

April 12 at 11 a.m. | Sexual Assault Awareness Flag Campaign
Students will plant flags on the Campus Quad to symbolize the number of sexual assaults that occur in the United States. Pathways to Healing, a nonprofit that serves Clarendon, Lexington, Newberry, Richland and Sumter counties, will provide educational materials.

“Statistics show that there is a sexual assault every 68 seconds in the United States. In the two hours the flag campaign will run, that amounts to 106 sexual assaults,” said senior Abby Beddingfield, of Greenville. “The event is also a way to inform students of resources available and educate them on what they can do to help prevent sexual assault.”

April 20 at 4 p.m. | Walk Like a Wolf
A fundraising walk around Newberry College to benefit Pathways to Healing.  The walk will begin at the Wolf Statue at the main campus entrance on College Street and end on the Campus Quad. This event is sponsored by the Department of Social & Behavioral Sciences and Psi Chi, the international honor society in psychology.

Miss South Carolina, Jill Dudley, is set to participate in the walk. Dudley's social impact initiative is "Shatter the Cycle: Supporting Survivors and Ending Rape Culture."

"As a rape survivor myself, I know firsthand that America has a problem with sexual assault," said Dudley in a statement on Miss South Carolina's website. "Nearly half a million of us — 1 in 6 women and 1 in 10 men are sexual assaulted every year. My assault has not defined me. I have evolved from victim to survivor to advocate."

Rebecca Lorick '02, executive director of Pathways to Healing, will deliver the event's keynote. Register with a donation of any amount.

April 27 at noon | Lunch & Learn: Domestic Violence 101
Caudill and Cynthia Eshleman, assistant professor of criminal justice, will host a Lunch & Learn session on Ernie’s Porch, adjacent to Kaufmann Hall, about domestic violence.

April 26 | Denim Day
Denim Day encourages everyone to wear jeans to support survivors of sexual assault and spread awareness about all forms of sexual violence.

For more information about any of these events, please contact Caudill at Carrie.Caudill@newberry.edu or 803.321.5262.