Winning student videos named for contest to raise awareness for sexual assault

WKU, UK teams awarded $500

FRANKFORT, Ky. (April 11, 2017) — A video produced by Western Kentucky University students won the $500 “Viral Video” award in the #VoiceofJustice video contest by receiving the most views on Attorney General Andy Beshear’s YouTube channel. A panel of survivors and victim advocates selected University of Kentucky’s video “Stand with us” as the overall $500 video prize winner

The contest was hosted by Beshear’s office and the Kentucky Association of Sexual Assault Programs.

The WKU video, “We All Need to Speak Up,” was produced by WKU Student Government Association and co-produced by students Sam Kirby and SGA President Jay Todd Richey.

The UK video, “Stand with us,” was submitted by students enrolled in Dr. Emily Bonistall Postel’s 400-level sociology course, with students Trent Patrick and Raenah Hawkins leading the production team.

“I want to thank every student, faculty member and campus organization who sent in a video or who helped us spread the word about the contest,” Beshear said today. “Voice of Justice was an opportunity for college students to lend their voices to bringing greater awareness to campus sexual assault, and I am proud of their courage to speak out. I hope their bravery inspires everyone on campus to intervene and prevent sexual assault, and creates a safer space for victims to contact the rape crisis hotline and report to authorities.”

Beshear’s Office and KASAP created the contest to engage Kentucky college students and campus communities to raise awareness for campus sexual assault during April’s Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month.

Beshear said sexual assault is a crime that effects one in five women and one in 16 men in college, yet in 2015, only 36 sexual assaults were reported to law enforcement on Kentucky’s public university campuses.

The #VoiceofJustice contest called upon college students to submit 30-second videos that contained information on the 24/7 free and confidential Sexual Assault Hotline, 800-656-HOPE, and increase:

• Awareness of campus sexual assault.
• Active bystanding to prevent sexual assault.
• Reporting, investigations and prosecutions of campus sexual assault.

By the April 1 deadline, Beshear’s office received 14 entries from seven colleges and universities: Elizabethtown Community and Technical College; Murray State University; Owensboro Community and Technical College; WKU; West Kentucky Community and Technical College; University of Kentucky; and University of Louisville.

All the videos can be seen here.