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Sexual assault resources will be brought to light at campus fair
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Students, community, faculty, and staff are invited to California State University, Stanislaus’s Sexual Assault Awareness Fair, where they will be acquainted with resources offered by the campus regarding sexual assault and sexual violence.

“Our goal is to educate people on what sexual assault and sexual violence looks like and where they can get help,” said student Clay Hobbs, whose senior capstone group is spearheading the event.

According to Hobbs, one of the objectives for the project was to meet an unmet need in the community. The students saw a prospective fair highlighting the issue of sexual assault and sexual violence as a perfect opportunity, since they did not see a significant amount of awareness being raised on campus.

The fair will consist of several booths, including one manned by safety and risk coordinator Amanda Alberti from the University Police Department. During the event, Alberti will be presenting information on the Rape Aggression Defense program.

A physical self-defense course for women, the R.A.D. program is designed to teach assertiveness, awareness, risk reduction, risk recognition, avoidance, and physical defense strategies.

In addition to UPD, Hobbs is hoping to get confirmation from the Prevention, Education, Empowerment, Relief Project and Associated Students Inc .

Deputy Title IX Coordinator Julie Johnson will be a guest speaker at the event, as well as Sarah Beal from the Haven Women’s Center. Both Johnson and Beal will also host respective booths at the fair.

As they visit each booth, guests will be encouraged to fill out a passport to document their travels throughout the fair. Once completed, the passports will be entered into a raffle for Starbucks and Hot Dog on a Stick gift cards.

Hobbs hopes that this event will help guests become aware of what resources are made available to them on campus, as well as how to prevent and recognize sexual assault and sexual violence.

“It is very important to raise awareness because women and men are affected by sexual assault and violence and are scared to report it,” said Hobbs. “However, once you report it, you remove the power that those other people have over you.”

The Sexual Assault Awareness Fair will take place in the quad from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday.