To kick off April’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Temple students and faculty will participate in the inaugural “WalkTU” event to raise awareness around sexual violence on Wednesday, March 29.

The mile-long walk on campus, expected to draw hundreds of participants, will focus on a theme of “Engaging New Voices to End Sexual Violence,” said Tom Johnson, assistant director of Temple’s Wellness Resource Center. The official Sexual Assault Awareness Month theme is “Engaging New Voices.”

WalkTU replaces the annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event. The new event will focus on inclusion of all members of the Temple community and raising awareness around all forms of sexual violence. About 300 men walked in last year’s Walk a Mile event. More than 100 others volunteered during it.

Numerous Temple departments and student organizations will be represented during WalkTU, including Student Activities, Dean of Students, Temple Athletics, Student Activists Against Sexual Assault, Temple Student Government and several student and professional organizations.

“We hope the walk demonstrates Temple’s dedication and commitment to end interpersonal and sexual violence against all members of our community,” Johnson said.

Monique Howard, executive director of Women Organized Against Rape, will speak before the walk begins. In February, Temple partnered with Women Organized Against Rape, a Philadelphia-based sexual violence crisis response center, to open a satellite office on campus that provides 24-hour support to survivors of sexual assault and sexual violence.

Register here for WalkTU. The event will begin and end at Founder’s Garden.