TO THE EDITOR:
This Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Old Well, our fraternity, Sigma Phi, as well as Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority will host “Walk a Mile,” a fundraiser for the Orange County Rape Crisis Center.
Some students will recall that we hosted a similar event as part of last year’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Our aspirations remain much the same; we seek to serve a vital community partner while providing space for important conversations, particularly on the role Greek institutions must play in making campus safe for all students. We are also happy to announce that we are once again partnering with One Act and CAGE — Carolina Advocating for Gender Equality.
However, those in attendance will also notice changes in this year’s iteration.
First, this will be the first event on this campus where all four Greek councils will stand together against sexual assault. Walk a Mile will also be sponsored by the sisters and brothers of Lambda Phi Epsilon, Lambda Pi Chi, St. Anthony Hall, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Alpha Kappa Alpha and Kappa Alpha Psi.
Second, in a departure from the policy of our former national affiliate — Walk a Mile in Her Shoes — all participants will be invited to wear shoes belonging to another woman or man, emphasizing that sexual violence affects all students on campus, regardless of their gender identity.
We hope this event will encourage participants to become more involved in the ongoing fight to make UNC safe for all Tar Heels. If you have any questions, suggestions or criticisms for us regarding our event, please feel free to email us at abrennen@live.unc.edu.
I will be walking on Thursday because one in five women experience sexual violence during their tenure on a college campus, and that violence is disproportionately committed by fraternity men. It is not only good that we address this issue — it’s necessary. We hope you’ll walk with us.
Andrew Brennen
