Last week, Samford’s campus celebrated Title IX Week, a five-day series of events which recognizes and spreads awareness about Title IX and personal safety against sexual assault on and off campus.
The events began on Monday afternoon, with a table set up inside the UC. Then, at 5:30 p.m. that evening, Samford’s Title IX team joined with Samford’s League of Women Voters to lead Bystander Intervention Training upstairs in the Howard Room. The training event was designed to teach those in attendance about becoming individuals who take direct action to help prevent sexual assault and other forms of harassment.
The events continued Tuesday evening with a screening of the short film documentary “Sexual Assault on Campus: A Survivor’s Story” in Harry’s. The screening was organized by and in partnership with the SU Wellness Ambassadors. The film depicted the anonymous testimony of a woman who was a victim of rape at a college party and the struggles she dealt with in the aftermath of the assault. After the film concluded, a discussion was held with Samford’s Tite IX Coordinator and Student Conduct Coordinator Lisa Overton and Samford Professor and Chair of Psychology Department Robert Elsner.
On noon Wednesday, a student lunch with the Megan Montgomery Foundation was held in the Howard Room. In addition to receiving food and t-shirts, guests were shown “Megan’s Story: Emphasizing Healthy Relationships.” The Megan Montgomery Foundation was established in the memory of its namesake after she was murdered at the age of 31 by her estranged husband. Following her untimely death, Megan’s mother and stepfather established the foundation in order to educate students in high school and college about toxic and potentially violent relationships.
On Thursday morning, a convocation event centered around Title IX took place in Reid Chapel, featuring guest speaker and Samford alumna Jennifer Pharr Davis, who stayed afterwards in the Hub of the UC for book signings. Then, starting at 2 p.m., self-defense classes were taught in the Howard Room by members of the SUPD.
Finally, Friday brought with it an early morning faculty and staff breakfast with Susann Montgomery Clark, and a final tabling in the UC where organizers of the week took part in a social media giveaway and announced the winners of a poster contest being held as part of the celebration.
Samford recently unveiled a new logo for their Title IX program, which reads “Speak Up. Be A Voice. Proverbs 31:8.” They hope to use this scriptural guidance to emphasize their positive bystander model, which calls upon everyone to play an active role in preventing sexual misconduct on campus.
If you or anyone you know has experienced sexual misconduct, there are many resources you can turn to for help and support, including the campus Title IX Coordinator at 205-726-2764 and titleix@samford.edu, and the Samford University Police Department at 205-727-2020 and publicsafety@samford.edu.
Contributing Writer
