Students walking on campus Thursday evening may have heard a group of protesters coming from a long way off.

Participants of FemCom’s “Take Back the Night” rally – one of three main Sexual Assault Awareness Week activities – banged pans and spoons and chanted to raise awareness of their cause, which is to make the campus a safe walking environment at night.

FemCom co-facilitator Emma Kopp said sexual assault is becoming a bigger deal in the United States and that the week’s purpose was to start conversations about it.

“Conversation is a great way to get the ball rolling when you are trying to create change. We say that with education comes awareness and with awareness comes change,” she said. “So basically by having these conversations, we’re getting people to start thinking about what is and what isn’t sexual assault and how can I make a difference.”

Kopp said one of FemCom’s goals for the week was to get people to stop thinking of sexual assault as a taboo topic.

“We should be having discussions about this with our friends, in our classrooms, with our family,” she said.

Students filled up two clotheslines with decorated shirts on lines stretched between trees on the Lower Quad Tuesday afternoon as part of the clothesline project. Kopp explained that different shirt colors stood for different forms of assault people have experienced.

“You can make the shirts for either someone you know or just anyone that’s been a victim or survivor of gender-based violence,” said Kopp. “I know folks who came and decorated shirts for themselves, for their friends, for family members or just for women as a whole.”

On Wednesday, FemCom showed a documentary called “Bro Culture,” which talks about how misogyny helps perpetuate rape culture on college campuses and what people can do to prevent it.

FemCom’s final event of the week was Thursday’s rally. About 15 students gathered to march around North and South campuses. Freshman Olivia Gardiner, who attended the rally, felt strongly about sexual assault awareness.

“I decided to attend because I think it’s important,” Gardiner said. “We need to help make this topic less taboo.”

Junior J.P. Dees stressed that wanting a safe walking environment on campus is not just a women’s issue.

“It’s an issue that crosses all gender identities,” Dees said. “Everyone deserves to feel safe walking on campus, whenever the time of day.”

Kopp said she hopes the events of the week serve as a statement to victims and survivors.

“Know that if you’re a victim or survivor of sexual assault or gender-based violence you’re not alone,” she said. “There are people that support and love you. We all have a role to play in preventing sexual assault and gender-based violence and helping people heal.”

Lauren Schaffran can be reached at scha7492@stthomas.edu.