UT Rugby players participated in the Hike the Hill in Heels event on Apr. 2, 2018. Emily Gowder / The Daily Beacon
Annual hike kicks off sexual assault awareness month Eric Bailes
Staff Writer UT community members participated in the fourth annual Hike the Hill in Heels to kick off Sexual Assault Awareness Month Monday afternoon. Orchestrated by the Center for Health Education and Wellness (CHEW), students, faculty and staff started the walk from HSS to Ayres Hall wearing heels of all kinds, such as pumps and platform heels. Participants were encouraged to decorate their heels with various types of accessories, such as glitter, pom poms and ribbons. Some opted to decorate their heels as gaudy as possible, while some opted for more simple decorations, adding a red heart or a Power T to stand out. Before the hike began, Title IX coordinator
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Ashley Blamey spoke briefly and said the crowd gathered was the largest yet. Blamey discussed the Volunteer spirit within everyone asking students to talk to each other about the event’s personal importance. “We have to be clear who the volunteers are and who they stand for,” Blamey said. Blamey then introduced Chancellor Beverly Davenport, who spoke about sexual assault and her goal of eliminating the issue on campus. Davenport said sexual assault is an uncomfortable topic, so the campus community must do something uncomfortable to remind each other of this issue. “It’s on us to make a difference,” Davenport said. “It’s on us to stop sexual assault.” Davenport started the hike, leading the large group around HSS, down Pedestrian Walkway and up the stairs of the Hill. Hikers ranged from athletes to university officials and more. Once the hike ended, participants talked with various organizations on campus, socialized and
took part in several competitions, such as taking a waltz down a catwalk. The Interfraternity Council (IFC) wanted to show their strong stance against sexual assault and called on representatives from each chapter to take part. “I’m very excited about IFC and other fraternity and other sorority organizations participating in this event,” sexual violence prevention coordinator for CHEW Fletcher Haverkamp said. “I think it’s important that those organizations, among many other organizations on campus, can demonstrate this is obviously an issue that we really care about, and we are excited to help lead the way on this issue.” Junior studying political science Gavin Cox participated in the hike for the first time today. The president of his fraternity, Delta Tau Delta, asked Cox to participate. While Cox walked, he said the only thought he could think about was what Davenport said in her opening remarks regarding the uncom-
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fortableness of not only the heels but the situation the event addressed. “As hard as that was and as small of a problem that was, it just seemed like putting those two problems next to each other made it seem like ‘why don’t we talk about sexual awareness more,’” Cox said. Cox said the event stood as a stepping stone toward better conversation regarding sexual assault and said it inspired people to get more involved with the issue. “I think it’s a powerful image seeing a bunch of guys, especially wearing heels, because I think there is a stigma against that sort of thing,” Cox said. “People wouldn’t want to participate in this because it’s girly, or it’s not manly to wear heels, but I think that’s the whole point. Seeing so many guys out here doing it, alongside the girls, is just a really powerful image, and I think that will really be able to speak to a lot of people on campus.”
Tuesday, April 3, 2018