One out of four college women will be sexually assaulted during their academic career, and 3 percent of men in college report having suffered a rape or an attempted rape as a child or an adult, according to clevelandrapecrisis.org. With April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month, events will be held nationwide to bring attention to these issues.

At SMSU, B.C. Franson, Associate Professor of Justice Administration and her “Women and Justice” class will host live broadcasts on related issues, at noon every Thursday of April (except April 30) in SS 230.

Today, Laura Harrison, Professor of Gender and Women’s Studies at Minnesota State University, Mankato, will make a presentation on reproductive justice. Attendants will learn the roots of the Reproductive Justice Movement along with its core principals, tenets, and philosophies.

On April 23, Hannah Fisher will discuss child sexual violence and grooming techniques. Participants will learn about the different types of childhood sexual abuse and grooming techniques used by those who sexually abuse children.

Men are more apt than women to assume that a woman who consumes alcohol on a date is a willing sex partner, according to clevelandrapecrisis.org. The site also noted that 40% of men who felt this way believe that it is also admissible to force sex on a woman who is under the influence. Alysse Luttman, an SMSU student currently enrolled in Franson’s “Women and Justice” course said, “As a college student, it’s important to understand consent… Any time alcohol is involved, you cannot have consent.”

For Franson and her class, the aim of these broadcasts is to raise awareness and encourage people to discuss sexual assault. Their goal is to “reduce the rate of sexual assaults, here and everywhere,” Franson said.