Rape and sexual violence are significant problems by themselves. Rape and sexual violence on a college campus is an even bigger problem because when I started moving to college, I had many people talk to me about how to avoid getting roofied at a party, how to put pepper spray and protective items on my car keys when I walk into my dorm from the parking lot, how to never be alone with a guy, always have another person by your side at night or at a party, and making a safe word with friends at a party if a guy makes you uncomfortable. I hate that I must come to college in fear that I may experience sexual violence against myself. I always make sure my friends are safe because I do not want them to experience what I had to go through. In the first few months of college, I experienced a constant fear of being attacked by someone if I was not careful of my surroundings. This fear was caused by my PTSD and many warnings of what could happen. Within the first few weeks of college, I found out five girls became victims of sexual assault. This broke my heart because I knew how this may potentially affect their college experience. I became a victim of sexual violence when I was 15. I still experience PTSD from being raped to this day. The main cause to my PTSD is the fact my attacker was a boy I have known since the fourth grade. This makes me think I could be a potential target at any time making me feel like I’m in danger especially when I’m walking by myself to my car or my room or simply just walking alone. It affects my everyday life. Every time I hear that someone or one of my friends has become a victim my heart aches because I can only imagine how PTSD is affecting them by the way it has affected my life. As a victim of sexual violence, I can say that prevention, awareness, and education are not talked about often. Sexual violence awareness and prevention should be a required class for college students. I want this petition to show that it is important to several people that sexual violence prevention should be a required class. This class would teach about why sexual violence is so common on college campuses and how to prevent it from happening in the future. This class will also teach the potential signs of an attacker and how to defend others or yourself from becoming a potential victim. This required class will encourage victims to speak out after feeling silenced and receive justice for what happened to them. I feel this class would decrease potential sexual violence situations from happening. Sexual violence should not be common, especially at college. College should be taught to be an exciting place, not a place where you are scared of what might happen to you.