Aggie students walk a mile to fight sexual violence
More than 100 male students, faculty and staff members put on red high heels and walked a mile-long loop around campus Friday to show their support for rape and sexual assault awareness.
Rachelle Webb, an intern at the Sexual Assault and Anti-Violence Information office and organizer of the walk, said Walk a Mile in Her Shoes is an international event.
“It’s the international men’s march against rape, sexual assault and gender violence,” she said. “It’s a really good awareness event that we have.”
Dustin Wood, a sophomore studying computer science said this was his second year walking for the cause.
“It just sounded like a fun way to promote something that is actually very serious and is important that people know about,” he said.
Throughout the walk, men held signs displaying statistics about rape and sexual assault as well as sayings such as “no means no.”
The walk started at the Taggart Student Center, looped around the Animal Science and Geology buildings and passed by the Education building before returning to the TSC.
“It was a mile,” he said. “There is no mincing of words there.”
Wood said this year he focused on the technique involved with walking in heels.
“It’s really the toes that you have to focus on,” he said. “Keeping the blood flow to the toes sustained. It’s a difficult task.”
Isaac Carling, a junior studying human movement science, agreed the walk was difficult.
“My heart rate was elevated and I was sweating,” he said.
Although she said the event was fun and a little comical, Webb said it was not intended to take away from the purpose of promoting awareness, that the goal of the event was to get as many people involved as possible.
“It just is a great way to spark conversation and make people aware of the facts and statistics,” she said.
This was the ninth-annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes at USU. Webb said this year’s event was the biggest ever with more 100 walkers.
“Last year we had 36 boys walk and we had 15 blister sisters, which are the girls just walking around cheering them on,” she said.
Webb was impressed with the turnout the event this year.
“It’s really great to see men step up and take that initiative and say ‘no means no’ and support the cause,” Webb said.
Sloan Bailey, a senior studying marketing and a member of Kappa Delta, said the sorority had a critical part in making the event happen this year, supplying more than 30 volunteers.
“Rachelle, who is in charge of the whole event, is a member of the sorority,” Bailey said. “We decided as Kappa Deltas to all volunteer to help her out with it,” she said.
Bailey agreed this year was the biggest and best Walk a Mile in Her Shoes she has seen.
“This is the fourth year I have participated in this event,” She said. “This is the most I have seen as far as participation, lots more going on, more booths and they decided to buy red shoes especially for men.”
Wood and Carling said they learned a few things from participating in the event.
“Don’t walk on soft ground, because you will sink,” Carling said.
“Walking on grass is a no-no,” Wood said.
Applying the things they learned and taking the cause to heart, the guys made up a phrase to sum up their experience.
“Sexual assault is like men wearing high heels,” Wood said. “It’s just wrong.”
– ashlyn.tucker@aggiemail.usu.edu