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Pittsburg State student Morgan Mavers, sophomore in nursing, has created a petition against women’s violence, including sexual harassment, sexual assault, and rape; specifically, on college campuses.
“I decided to focus my project on women’s violence because it is something I think about daily,” Mavers said. “I decided to specifically focus on women’s violence on campus. Through this class, it has been brought to my attention how often this happened. Women’s violence is considered as rape, sexual assault, and sexual harassment. It is a broad topic and I like that I can broaden my ideas in this way.”
‘End Rape On Campus’ is an organization working to end sexual violence on campuses through support of survivors, prevention through education, and policy reform local, state, and federal levels.
“I decided to use a petition to spread awareness because I found this great organization called ‘End Rape On Campus,” Mavers said. “In our project, we were supposed to find someone or an organization that talks about our topic. I happened to scroll past this organization one day that I was researching and immediately clicked on it. The website is so organized, and they have many numbers to call in need of help, information to read up on and so much more. That is when I wanted to create something similar here at PSU.”
Mavers hopes to inspire college students to promote safe environments.
“As a woman, in college, living basically on my own for the first time, this was incredibly important to me,” Mavers said. “Women don’t deserve to be scared to go for a walk or just be independent wanting to do things. I want to spread awareness around campuses everywhere to join and watch out for each other.”
More information on End Rape on Campus can be found at https://endrapeoncampus.org.
“Ways we can help make a change is just supporting and getting the word out,” Mavers said. “EROC is huge about speaking out because we believe you. If something happened to you and you are comfortable speaking about it, speak out. We believe you and support you. Supporting each other is just the first step. We need to all look out for each other. If we see something happening, don’t be afraid to help or call for help. Even if they are a stranger and you see them in a weird situation, reach out and help. Little changes make huge jumps.”
Mavers is advocating for campuses to begin selling items to protect students such as pepper spray and handheld keychains.
“I am hoping for small changes that turn into habits with this project,” Mavers said. “Some may look at pepper spray and harmful keyrings as weapons, but this is what everyone can use to protect themselves. Being able to purchase affordable things that we can protect ourselves with is something that can be huge for campuses. Seeing everyone lookout and support each other is something that I really strive for. It sounds cheesy, but the best way to end something like this is sticking together. We believe you and we support you. Speak up so we can help and make a change.”