2008 Woodie Awards
Walkers plan East Coast trek to combat sexual aggression
By: Brian Brunner
Issue date: 2/27/08 Section: News
Editor's note: This the final installment of a four-part series taking a look at sexual aggression.
Three CMU students will spend the summer traveling from the beaches of Miami to the cobblestone streets of Boston.
A vacation along the U.S. Eastern Seaboard usually would not be so unusual an event, except the trio will be making their trip on foot.
Beginning May 6, Kathryn Kreps, Rebecca Mercado Thornton and Josh Phillips, members of the student organization East Coast Walkers, will embark on a journey spanning three months and 1,500 miles to raise awareness about sexual aggression.
Kreps, a LaSalle senior, said the group plans to walk about 20 miles a day and have a lot of face-to-face interaction along the way.
"Hopefully people will see three students with matching T-shirts and backpacks and have some questions," she said.
Thornton, a Romulus senior, said the trio might stop at church services along the route, a great setting for people to ask questions.
Thornton said the most important aspect of their trip is that it brings exposure to the issue.
"It can be difficult to get people to open up about something so personal," she said. "But I can't stress enough how important it is for people to engage in dialogue about a topic that affects so many people."
Phillips, an Illinois graduate student, said sexual aggression affects one in four women.
"I know way more than four women (who have been sexually assaulted)," he said, "so it's a very personal issue."
All three of the East Coast Walkers are members of Sexual Aggression Peer Advocates, a student organization that aids sexual aggression survivors and their families and friends in dealing with sexual violence issues.
Phillips said the trio was inspired by a group of SAPA members who, in 2001, walked from San Francisco to Washington, D.C., to raise awareness for sexual aggression.
The East Coast Walkers route is shorter, but no less daunting, he said.
Three CMU students will spend the summer traveling from the beaches of Miami to the cobblestone streets of Boston.
A vacation along the U.S. Eastern Seaboard usually would not be so unusual an event, except the trio will be making their trip on foot.
Beginning May 6, Kathryn Kreps, Rebecca Mercado Thornton and Josh Phillips, members of the student organization East Coast Walkers, will embark on a journey spanning three months and 1,500 miles to raise awareness about sexual aggression.
Kreps, a LaSalle senior, said the group plans to walk about 20 miles a day and have a lot of face-to-face interaction along the way.
"Hopefully people will see three students with matching T-shirts and backpacks and have some questions," she said.
Thornton, a Romulus senior, said the trio might stop at church services along the route, a great setting for people to ask questions.
Thornton said the most important aspect of their trip is that it brings exposure to the issue.
"It can be difficult to get people to open up about something so personal," she said. "But I can't stress enough how important it is for people to engage in dialogue about a topic that affects so many people."
Phillips, an Illinois graduate student, said sexual aggression affects one in four women.
"I know way more than four women (who have been sexually assaulted)," he said, "so it's a very personal issue."
All three of the East Coast Walkers are members of Sexual Aggression Peer Advocates, a student organization that aids sexual aggression survivors and their families and friends in dealing with sexual violence issues.
Phillips said the trio was inspired by a group of SAPA members who, in 2001, walked from San Francisco to Washington, D.C., to raise awareness for sexual aggression.
The East Coast Walkers route is shorter, but no less daunting, he said.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Jim Brodhead
posted 6/27/08 @ 11:15 AM EST
Had the pleasure of meeting these three walkers last night here in Fredericksburg VA. They are outstanding people and fine representatives of Central Michigan and of their generation. (Continued…)
Jim Brodhead
posted 6/27/08 @ 1:13 PM EST
I have posted an article on my weblog about these three and their pass through Fredericksburg Virginia. It can be seen at http://www.thefredericksblog. (Continued…)
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