Speaking out against sexual violence and supporting survivors are just a few goals of Voices Against Violence (VAV), a new student group at Iowa State.

VAV’s mission is: “To provide support, advocate risk reduction and create awareness of the reality of sexual and domestic violence on our campus.”

The organization’s co-founders, Darci Horton, junior in English education, and Sara Junck, sophomore in family studies, are both employed at the Assault Care Center Extending Shelter and Support (ACCESS).

Horton and Junck created VAV after deciding there was a need for a new type of support group at ISU.

“I’ve seen other campuses that have a stronger support of survivors,” Horton said. “When it comes to this issue, I see it a lot at my job but not so much at school.”

Junck also said she felt there was a need for more awareness about sexual violence at ISU.

“Women need to have a support group to say, ‘This is what happened,'” she said. “If they don’t have that network of support, they’re not going to come out. As it is there isn’t one [at ISU].”

Horton and Junck have set several goals for VAV.

“[VAV is] about raising awareness of sexual violence,” Horton said. “I feel like it’s kind of a hush-hush issue. We want to make people aware that it does go on here and support people it has happened to.”

Horton also said one of their major ambitions is to get men involved in VAV.

“It’s such a good thing when men say ‘Hey, this is our problem, too,” she said. “It’s not just a female issue.”

Junck said they hope to make VAV a familiar presence on campus.

“We want people to walk away from the meetings and think, ‘Wow, they really had some good points,'” she said. “Then maybe they’ll tell a friend. We want to create a network by people talking about it.”

Horton said since the group has started so late in the semester, they are mainly looking for serious people to help get the group going.

In the future, they hope to be able to make a presentation to new students at orientation.

They also are looking into handing out stickers or patches to show support for survivors of sexual violence, similar to the stickers used by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Ally Alliance.

VAV will hold its first meeting Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. in the Gold Room of the Memorial Union.