Last month, the University of Arkansas celebrated Sexual Assault Awareness Month, thanks to the tireless effort of the peer-led student organization, RESPECT.

All month long, RESPECT, and program of STAR Central and which stands for Rape Education Services by Peers Encouraging Conscious Thought, provided different events around campus to help raise awareness on campus about sexual assault and relationship violence through prevention and changing social norms.

Recently, the peer education group attended the 2016 Region IV-W Spring Meeting of the Minds conference in Kansas City, Missouri, where they were awarded with the 2015-2016 NASPA/BACCHUS Region IV-W Outstanding Program Peer Education Award for Excellence. This is the 13th time the RESPECT program has been either regionally or nationally recognized for their diligent effort in providing rape awareness, prevention and risk reduction education with a message of advocacy for victims and survivors.

"I am so very proud of our RESPECT peer educators and their efforts," said Dr. Mary A. Wyandt-Hiebert, director of STAR Central, Pat Walker Health Center and RESPECT advisor. "It is an honor to work with students who are so dedicated toward working hard to provide engaging and impactful outreach events, education programs, and social-norming campaigns to address sexual violence and rape culture."

At the Meeting of the Minds conference, the RESPECT spent the weekend discussing prevention and health education best practices with other peer educators in the region, as well as having the opportunity to engage with and learn from experts in the field.  "The conference was an excellent opportunity for our peer educators and staff advisors to network, learn, and reinforce our efforts at our university," said Wyandt-Hiebert. "Our peer educators experienced reaffirmation of the amazing work they do on our campus."

RESPECT began in 2000, and over the last 16 years, students have used the concept of peer education to maximize their message and to transform the campus community's norms and attitudes toward rape. Through programs such as the "That's so 6 percent" campaign, the "While Professor is Away" presentations and bystander intervention outreach, we continue to see the impact this group of dedicated students has on creating a world (and campus) free from sexual assault and relationship violence.

Congratulations to the 2015-16 RESPECT interns:

• Chassidy Hurst, senior, human development – "Being a part of RESPECT is important to me because it helps me have a positive impact on campus. It also allows me to spread knowledge and educate my peers."
• Riley Ferree, freshman, biology – "What excites me about RESPECT is that it provides me the opportunity to share my passion with my peers. I feel sexual assault awareness is a topic that people shy away from talking about, but to be able to initiate those discussions and provide people with information is such a rewarding feeling."
• Marisa Gamboa, junior, child development – "Getting the opportunity to educate my peers about an important topic with people who also understand the importance of educating peers is what excites me about being a part of RESPECT."
• Rachel Davis, sophomore, psychology – "It is important to be able to talk about important topics on a peer-to-peer basis. I want to be able to share information with people my age in a way that will be most effective and most relatable."
• Alice Gardner, sophomore, biology – "The most exciting part about being RESPECT peer educator is actually having face-to-face interactions and helping people understand sexual assault better."
• Zahra Powell, junior, biology – "My passion lies within helping those who lack a voice. Victims of sexual assault often face this problem, so it brings me great joy and passion to educate not only other students, but myself about rape culture, sexual assault, and those who matter most – the victims."
• LaShale English, sophomore, psychology/business – "What gives me the most exuberance about being a RESPECT intern is knowing that I have passed down information in a positive way. Being a RESPECT peer educator is important because I love making my peers aware of rape culture... being able to communicate this information to my peers is remarkable."