Ben Garbacz/Daily Mining Gazette Michigan Tech student Sarah Baxter, left and Dawn Corwin, Assistant Director of the Waino Wahtera Center for Student Success and Title IX Prevention Coordinator collected donations of jeans in the Michigan Tech Library Tuesday during the Denim Drive. The event was part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month

HOUGHTON — April is recognized as Sexual Assault Awareness Month and during the month, Michigan Technological University is raising awareness of sexual assault and letting victims and their loved ones know what resources and help is available. Tech’s Title IX office has partnered with Copper Shores Community Health Foundation to conduct a “Denim Drive.” Jeans collected during the drive will be painted

Michigan Tech is raising awareness for the month of April of sexual assault victims and how they and their loved ones can reach out for help and resources. The Title IX office has partnered the student organization Sexual Assault and Violence Education (SAVE) and Copper Shores Community Health Foundation for several activities during the month. Currently, they have are conducting a Denim Drive through tomorrow.

Electrical engineering student Sarah Baxter said it is important to inform people of what many victims experience and why they may be hesitant to seek help.

“We’re raising awareness for sexual assault victims and how victim blaming and other things perpetrators use over them,” Baxter said. “There are also social stigmas that are put out there to make people feel like it’s their fault that it (the assault) happened to them.”

Baxter was out in the Van Pelt and Opie Library Tuesday speaking with students and informing them of the services available from the Title IX office while collecting jeans. Baxter said the event was important to her due to her own experiences as a victim.

“Even as victim, it’s pretty anxiety inducing to identify yourself as someone like that or to talk about it,” she explained. “Some weeks it’s something that I can’t even think about. And other weeks it’s something that I wish other people understood. So it’s a very complicated thing to deal with, but it’s also kind of like a chip in the cornerstone of my personality and I like these events and this organization, because it helps me kind of develop a professional level way of going about it.”

The Denim Drive began Monday and will end tomorrow. Jeans can be dropped off at the Admin Building on campus, but the collection tomorrow will take place in the Wads lobby and run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The collected jeans will be painted on during Thursday evening in the MUB Superior Room then be put on display as a mural on the Walker lawn for the remainder of the month. The mural will consist of the painted jeans hung on a clothesline between lampposts. Assistant Director of the Waino Wahtera Center for Student Success and Title IX Prevention Coordinator Dawn Corwin said the display is important for victims of sexual assault to know their services exist.

“Whether they’re (victims) a community member or campus member, knowing that there’s resources out there is helpful because we know that one of the underrated crimes that happen like sexual assault, stalking and all of that kind of stuff is very under reported,” Corwin explained. “So just being able to have somebody see Title IX and be able to go to our website and get that information, I think is vital and super important.”

April will see more than just the Denim Drive raising awareness, with Copper Shores hosting the Annual Puppy Parade in Hancock on April 17. During the whole month information distribution will be present at Tech’s campus with the Title IX offices having more information and services at the ready for those curious about victims’ aid or those in need of support.

Corwin said anyone in the community or on campus that has experienced sexual assault has many ways to seek help. She recommends calling the Title IX office or Public Safety, and if supportive measures are needed there are campus services at the ready.

The Awareness month will end on April 30, in which people can show solidarity with sexual assault victims by wearing jeans.