With the end of the semester approaching, most students enjoy their final days on campus soaking up the sun and spending time with their fellow Falcons on Bentley’s “green space” before heading home for the summer. However during one of the final weeks of classes, students took over the green space for a very different purpose: to raise awareness for sexual assault and gender-based violence.
To bring recognition to Sexual Assault Awareness Month, members of Bentley’s Student Affairs Division joined with students to host a series of events throughout April to highlight the topic. More than 600 students came together to support the initiatives.
Sparking the Conversation
Consent Day, a community-wide event that creates a safe space for students and other participants to learn more about affirmative consent, helps students develop communication skills and increase their knowledge about sexual and relationship violence.
“This event provides an open and positive space to explore some really sensitive issues,” says Jessica Greher Traue, director of Bentley’s Center for Health and Wellness. “The peer to peer education that is fostered by Consent Day is key to normalizing the topic for our students.”
Set up like a fair, student organizations and other community groups host activities around a variety of learning objectives focused on defining consent. Participation in a certain level of activities is rewarded with a custom t-shirt, which have become very popular among Bentley’s student body.
“The t-shirts help further educate and spark conversation around consent after the event has occurred,” shares Traue.
Understanding Different Perspectives
Following Consent Day, members of Bentley’s athletic teams, Greek life and other student 
organizations participated in the university’s first Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event.
Stemming from the saying, “You can’t really understand another person’s experience until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes,” the event asked men to literally walk one mile in women’s high-heeled shoes to raise awareness about the serious causes, effects and remediations to men’s sexualized violence against women.
Walk a Mile in Her Shoes is a national effort that brings levity to a very serious topic,” says Alex Hirs, assistant director for gender equity and development at Bentley. “The program uses a lens of performance art to showcase how men and all genders can deepen the dialogue surrounding rape culture.”
The walk began on the green space outside of the Student Center and continued throughout Bentley’s upper campus.
“At first there was a lot of laughter and complaining from the guys as they put on the heels and started walking around the green space,” shares Devin Koss ’16 who served on the planning committee for the Walk a Mile event. “However as the walk continued, the conversation shifted towards empathy as they became more aware of the struggles that women face.”
David Alexander ’17, who also served on the planning committee, said the event was a significant part of his Bentley experience.
“Gender equality is not just a women’s issue,” says Alexander. “As students entering the business world after graduation, we are responsible for abolishing gender discrimination in the workplace.”
About the Center for Health and Wellness
Bentley’s Center for Health and Wellness offers a full range of health services for Bentley’s full-time students. The center’s programs and services are based on state-of the art health care theory and technologies, as well as the latest practices in health promotion and alcohol and other drug abuse prevention.
About the Equity Center
Located in Bentley’s Student Center, the Equity Center provides a safe space for students who want to create a more inclusive, informed and compassionate campus community. The center promotes an ethos of leadership focused on social justice and provides campus-wide workshops, dialogues and programs for students, faculty and staff.