“I wear denim to stand up against all acts of sexual violence and to let the survivors and victims of thee horrible acts know that they are not alone.”

– Austin Graber, student government president

“ I wear denim to raise awareness of sexual assault and violence not just here on this campus, but throughout our nation and the world.”

– Vernon Hurte, dean of students

“I wear denim to raise awareness about the impacts of sexual violence in diverse communities, as well as to show solidarity to survivors impacted by power based personal violence.”

– Jazzmine Brooks, Green Dot coordinator

“And it is on us to uplift those stories and make sure we are at the defense of them.”

– Juan Bibiloni, former student government vice president

“When my kids were little, I would tell them my number one job as a dad is to keep them safe. When they will go outside to play, they’d put their helmets and little pads on. I felt like if I could protect their outside and keep that safe, then I could keep what was inside safe: their hearts and minds. So the denim that I’m wearing today, I believe that it represents strength, and durability and resilience and protection. If you take care of denim it’ll last a lifetime. So this denim reminds me of a commitment. And that commitment is to not only keep my children safe but for all of us to work together to keep each other safe.”

– Reginald Stewart, vice president of the office of diversity and inclusion

“You know, you as a student here at Iowa State University it is important for you to know the resources and know that it is okay to talk about sexual assault, sexual misconduct and it is for you friends, it is about start by believing.”

– Vishesh Bhatia, student government vice president

“We know that survivors of sexual assault and violence must be treated with respect, care and compassion. Their voices must be heard. At Iowa State University, everyday, we need to work to make sure that everyone feels safe, welcomed, included, so that all Iowa Staters can reach their full potential.”

– Wendy Wintersteen, university president

“We need to remind ourselves that whether it’s happened at a party when we were drunk, while you were hanging out with someone you thought was a friend, or in any other context your feelings are valid and you deserve to be heard and believed.”

– Emily Berch, editor of politics and administration of the Iowa State Daily

“I’m wearing my denim hat today in support of sexual assault survivors. And with the hope that one day we won’t ever have to worry about sexual assault again.”

– Martino Harmon, senior vice president for student affairs

“I also want Iowa State’s campus to know that the Iowa State Daily is a safe place to talk about these kinds of topics and that we advocate for sexual assault survivors, and want to tell your stories.”

– Annie Wells, editor of academics of the Iowa State Daily