Run for Respect highlights Sexual
Awareness week
Mary Cunningham / Reporter
The second annual Run for Respect, sponsored by the
Student-Athlete Advisory Council, is being held on April 22
to raise money for Crossroads, a sexual assault response and
resource center in Burlington.
The event is a 5K run or walk around Elon's campus.
There is a $10 registration fee for students and $20 for
community members. Late registration and sign in begins at 8
a.m. and the race begins at 9 a.m.
"This event is so important since sexual assault is
such a dominant issue, especially after last year's
events at Elon," sophomore Eric Garren said.
"Sexual assault varies on many levels, and thus it is
important to make the community knowledgeable about this
serious issue. Such knowledge will help individuals identify
and solve sexual assault issues at an earlier stage."
Garren is part of the SAAC committee that is organizing the
event.
Seniors Danny Quinn, Liza Schirmer, John Tumbleston, Malcolm
White and junior Katie Whidden make up the rest of the
committee.
Barbara Boyette, assistant athletics director, who serves as
the race director, says the event would not have been
possible without these students to organize it.
Crossroads approached the SAAC about partnering together on
an event to help raise money for the center. Boyette saw that
North Carolina State University hosted a Run for Respect and
thought it would be a great event to bring to Elon.
Last year, the event raised about $400 for Crossroads. SAAC
hopes to at least double that number this year.
With the successful sponsorship from Alamance Regional
Medical Center, DSI and Off 'N Running, all the
registration fees will go to Crossroads and none will be
needed for the assorted goodies that the runners will
receive. The first, second and third place men and women will
receive prizes, along with door prizes that will be handed
out at the end of the race.
"Everyone was really pleased with how successful it was
last year and showed support for this year," Boyette
said.
The run is the concluding event to the sexual assault
awareness events held in April. Earlier in the month,
"Let's Talk About It," a presentation on sexual
violence, had standing room only. A self defense workshop for
women and a panel discussion presented by the Women and
Gender Studies Committee were other successful events. The
Clothesline Project is an awareness campaign that uses
T-shirts to represent facts about sexual violence that is on
display in Moseley.
"The issue of sexual assault is real and present in the
Elon community," said Leigh-Ann Royster, coordinator for
Personal Health Programs and Community Well-Being.
Royster stresses the importance of sexual assault awareness
and the fact that she works with students every week who have
been sexually assaulted. The community only hears about the
acts of sexual violence whose victims choose to have an alert
sent out, but there are many more cases that the community
does not hear about.
Royster believes the community has an obligation to work
together to help prevent sexual violence. Awareness is a key
step to prevention, which is one reason why Run for Respect
is a great event.
"It supports a great cause which effects all people and
needs to be addressed and discussed continuously and its a
great way to meet new people, get some exercise, win some
prizes and support Sexual Assault Awareness month and
Crossroads," Schirmer said.
The run will happen rain or shine, and the SAAC encourages
everyone to come out and support the cause.
Contact Mary Cunningham at pendulum@elon.edu or
278-7247.
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