Sexual Violence Awareness Week will be observed at Coastal Carolina University on Friday, April 21, with two events to recognize and support sexual violence awareness on campus. All events are free and open to the public.

Sexual Violence Awareness Week is observed nationally and throughout many colleges and universities in the United States and overseas.

Free Step Up! T-shirts will be handed out to the first 150 attendees of the baseball game inside the concourse at Gate 3.

Events planned for the week include:

Denim Day will be held Friday, April 21, from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the Wall Patio (leading to the bridge toward Prince Lawn). Participants are asked to show support for survivors of sexual violence by wearing denim. This event is considered a call to action and a visible protest against sexual violence. The campaign was originally triggered by a ruling of the Italian Supreme Court in which a rape conviction was overturned because the justices felt that since the victim was wearing tight jeans she must have helped the rapist remove her jeans, thereby implying consent. The following day, the women in the Italian Parliament came to work wearing jeans in solidarity with the victim.

"Shine a Light on Sexual Violence" will take place on April 21 at the CCU baseball game beginning at 6 p.m. at Spring Brooks Stadium. The game is a "Teal Out," as teal is the awareness color for sexual violence. The program will include a short student-made video and a moment of silence wherein the lights will be turned out and a spotlight shined onto the field to recognize the survivors of sexual violence. Attendees will be asked to join in by turning on flashlights on their cell phones and holding them high. The CCU Student Government Association President Austin Nichols will be reading SGA's Resolution for Sexual Violence Awareness Month at 5:45 p.m. before the first pitch.

At both events there will be a wreath frame, and people will be able to write a message of hope and support for survivors on a strip of cloth and tie it to the wreath.

Campus sponsors for the sexual violence awareness activities include CCUs Counseling Services, the Dean of Students office, SGA, Student Health Services, the Department of Public Safety, Athletics, the Rape Crisis Center, the Women's and Gender Studies program, SHORE Peer Educators, Department of Sociology and Pi Gamma chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity.

The E. Craig Wall Sr. College of Business Administration is located at 119 Chanticleer Drive E. on the Conway campus. The Spring Brooks Stadium is located at 965 One Landon Loop on the Conway campus.

For more information, contact assistant director of counseling services, Chris Donevant-Haines at cdhaines@coastal.edu or 843-349-5022.