College holds events for Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Penn State Berks will hold a variety of informational events for students during the month of April, which is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. All events are for students currently enrolled at Penn State Berks.


Tuesday, April 5, 5:15 p.m., Perkins Student Center Auditorium

Sex in the Dark program
?Sexperts? from Planned Parenthood and other organizations will answer anonymous questions from students about sex and relationships. The question-and-answer session will be held with the lights out, but there will be glow sticks available. This program is open to students and is sponsored by Penn State Berks Health Services.


Tuesday, April 5, 7­­?8:30 p.m., Penn State Room
Sexual Assault Awareness Program

Penn State Berks Police Officer Valerie Fisher will present a Sexual Assault Awareness Program, offering suggestions, tips, and preventive measures to students to help them reduce their risk of becoming a victim of a sexual assault. A question-and-answer session will follow the presentation. This program is open to current students and is sponsored by Penn State Berks Police Services.


Tuesday, April 12, 6?8 p.m., Penn State Room

Stay SAFE program
The Stay SAFE (Self-Defense Awareness and Familiarization Exchange) Program, which is designed the help members of our campus community to become more aware of and more familiar with basic self-defense concepts, will be held for students. This session of the Stay SAFE program will be taught by Penn State Berks Police Officer Anna Smith, a certified Stay SAFE instructor. The two-hour course is geared toward adult and teenage women but is not limited to female participants. The class will begin with a short introductory video, and then progress with a 1-1/2 hour physical self-defense familiarization presentation. This program is open to current students and is sponsored by Penn State Berks Police Services.


Wednesday, April 13, 11 a.m.?3 p.m., Perkins Student Center Multipurpose Room
Free HIV Screenings

Health Services will hold free HIV Screenings. The screenings will be performed using oral swabs, while supplies last, and results will be available in 30 minutes. This program is open to current students and is sponsored by Penn State Berks Health Services.


Wednesday, April 13, 7 p.m., Perkins Student Center Multipurpose Room
The Hunting Ground

Stand for State is working with Berks Women in Crisis to air the documentary, The Hunting Ground, a startling exposé of rape crimes on U.S. college campuses, their institutional cover-ups, and the devastating toll they take on students and their families. Weaving together verité footage and first-person testimonies, the film follows the lives of several undergraduate assault survivors as they attempt to pursue ? despite incredible push back, harassment, and traumatic aftermath ? both their education and justice.

In addition, throughout the month, Health Services will hold free Chlamydia and Gonorrhea Screenings for current students. No appointment is necessary. For more information, visit Health Services in room 8, Perkins Student Center or contact them at 610-396-6075.