Wednesday afternoon, students from several Greek organizations took a stance against sexual assault by walking across campus in shoes of the opposite gender. A group organizer said about 300 people attended the event, including many non-Greek participants.

This is the first year Kent State has participated in the international “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes,” and we hope it becomes an annual event.

We’re proud of the students for bringing awareness to the campus. It’s an issue that is not often talked about, but it happens every day.

Greg Jarvie, vice president of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs , helped kick off the event by speaking briefly about the importance of promoting sexual assault awareness.

“Research on sexual assault is pretty telling that one out of every six women is sexually assaulted during college,” said Jarvie, who was wearing a pair of purple heels.

Sexual assault includes rape, sexual abuse, domestic violence, hate crimes, incest, sexual exploitation, harassment and stalking.

There have been sexual assaults on campus and in the surrounding community, but we quickly forget about them as if they’re a normal occurrence. Nothing so horrible as a man or woman being forced to do something demeaning and life-altering should be considered “normal.”

Those who promote awareness should inspire us. If we all take a stand against sexual assault, we can make a difference — one college campus at a time.

Kent State is doing a stand-up job for relaying important, relevant information to students, faculty and the Kent community about sexual assault.