Men race in high heels to raise awareness of sexual assault

Walk a Mile in Her Shoes raised approximately $1,500.

By Theresa Berens

Published April 27, 2009

Stankowski Field was filled with guitar music, cheering and about 70 young men taking turns jogging in pairs of size 11 or 12 wide patent leather black wedges Sunday morning. The men were participating in Walk a Mile in Her Shoes as part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

The event is the only philanthropic event sponsored by the Panhellenic Association. This is the second year for PHA to host the international event, this year with an increased turnout. The number of participants has increased nearly nine-fold, jumping up from only eight men last year.

The men grouped in relay teams to complete three laps around the track. Some glided along without stumbling while others had to take more time getting used to their new footwear.

"It was fun, not as bad as I thought," said freshman Shalom Crossland, member of the Alpha Kappa Lambda fraternity team. "I have a blister but it's for a good cause, so it's all good."

A group of students from Phi Mu, Alpha Delta Pi and Pi Beta Phi sororities helped coordinate the event along with PHA Vice President of Programming Brittany Perrin, as part of a special events planning class through the hotel and restaurant management department. The group held weekly meetings since February to prepare.

"The students had to plan everything from nothing," professor Julie Hosmer said.

The event not only supports education and awareness, but also demonstrates the volume of men in the community who are fighting against sexual violence. PHA spokeswoman Lindsey Hoffman said they hope to continue to increase the size of the event and to get more men involved.

"Men will stand up against these terrible acts," Perrin said.

Event participants learned tips for sexual assault prevention from Sharon Giles, co-coordinator of the Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention Center, who spoke before the relay began. She explained the word prevention used to be considered taboo in the movement to prevent sexual assault, due to the tendency to shift blame to the victim.

"Prevention is something we can all do, every single day, every single one of us," Giles said.

She suggested using instincts in order to know when to check in with people who look as if they could be in trouble and using the tools of distraction and bystander intervention if necessary.

The women in attendance also learned self-defense tactics from teaching assistants for the women's self defense class taught through the women's and gender studies department, Jessica Black and Jill Sappington.

Men cringed as the two demonstrated various ways in which to escape an attack, such as the use of the elbow in a man's "sensitive south area." In the event of an attack, Black and Sappington offered the following mantra: blind, mobilize and escape.

This year, Walk a Mile in Her Shoes raised about $1,500, which will benefit The Shelter in Columbia. The Shelter provides a safe place to educate and empower victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. It relies on funds from events such as this to provide services to victims, but also to educate and foster discussion in the community at large.

"The awareness is what's really important," said Brenda Baker, director of development at The Shelter. "Be informed, be a friend, be a messenger."