Darkness was falling, but the people weren’t scared – they were united.

ISU students, faculty and Ames residents gathered for “Take Back the Night” Tuesday, a program organized to bring awareness, empowerment and the chance to visibly fight against sexual violence, said Kris Olds, Story County Sexual Assault Response Team coordinator.

“I’m really pleased to see students and community members,” Olds said. “Anything we can do to increase awareness is a good thing.”

Tom Shelton, Ames police officer and part of SART, said SART helps victims cope, taking the initial complaint and determining if charges need to be filed. That decision is up to the victim, Shelton said.

“It’s a problem everywhere,” he said. “We take this seriously, and we investigate the cases fully.”

Victims, family of victims and supporters shared anecdotes and support measures before marching throughout Campustown. Their message – awareness.

“There’s still this idea that [survivors] are responsible for assault,” Olds said. “It’s a shame. We would never accuse someone who had their wallet stolen of flaunting around their wallet.”

Then the group took to the streets.

Led by ISU Groove, the group lit candles, grabbed signs and marched down Lincoln Way, greek row and – finally – Welch Avenue, before ending their march at the Margaret Sloss Women’s Center.

Ellen Semran, center events coordinator, helped plan the route, and said the greek’s support during Sexual Assault Awareness Month has been important to the cause.

“The Interfraternity Council has co-sponsored many events, and they’ve been really good support,” Semran said.

“We want to increase awareness, especially around areas where students are gathering,” Semran said.

Betsy Adams, sophomore in marketing, attended the event, and said she first went to a “Take Back the Night” event at Drake University when she was about 8 years old.

“That was the first experience I had where I knew I had power over my destiny,” she said.

Pat Baker, president of ISU Groove, said it was important for the drumline to lead the way and call attention to such a serious issue.

“We feel that it’s a really good cause,” he said. “We play for many different charities, and anytime people hear drums, it causes a natural reaction for people to give their attention to what’s going on.”

Olds said the number of sexual assault cases at Iowa State is proportional to the rest of the nation, but reporting the incidents is higher because of the opportunities students have for support.

Adams said she was happy with how the event unfolded.

“It was really empowering to know we stopped traffic not because we were wearing short skirts, but because we were voicing our beliefs,” she said. “It felt like being around family, even though some of us barely knew each other.”