With one in four women in the United States experiencing rape and thousands more experiencing domestic abuse, stalking and sexual harassment, Saginaw senior Marie Reimers said raising awareness and speaking out lets survivors know they’re not alone.

Students Advocating for Gender Equality, a registered student organization that advocates feminism on campus and beyond, is hosting Take Back the Night 2015, an event to speak out against sexual violence. The three-day event takes place April 6-9 and is being led by Reimers and Ortonville senior Hannah Mollett, president of SAGE.

“Take Back the Night is an effort to empower survivors. At the end of the day, the voices that are most important in the fight to end sexual violence are the women who have experienced it,” Reimers said. “We want survivors to feel safe and supported, and all of events during Take Back the Night Week are meant to do that.”

The event begins at 7 p.m. Monday with a trauma centered yoga session at 7 p.m. in Kulhavi Hall Room 41. The yoga session is intended to help survivors of sexual violence reclaim and become comfortable with their bodies, focusing on self-love and becoming more in tune with their bodies.

Tuesday gives students a chance to take a stand against sexual violence by writing down why they are against sexual violence, what they are doing to end sexual violence or part of their personal story on a whiteboard to create a Support Survivors Photo Series. The table will be set up 2 p.m to 5 p.m in the Down Under Food Court in the Bovee University Center. The series will be posted on the Take Back the Night Facebook page to spread awareness.

“I feel it's important to raise awareness to show survivors they are not alone in their fight, along to uncover some of the myths about sexual violence, such as how many people think of the perpetrators as strangers, which is the opposite from the truth,” said Flint freshman Carissa Martin. “(I’m looking forward to) people just coming together and supporting each other in a great cause. I have never been to one of these before and have always wanted to go, so I'm very excited to see how everything goes.”

Wednesday features a screening of Telling Amy’s Story, a documentary about domestic violence. The documentary will begin at 8 p.m. in the Isabella Room in the UC.

The series of events will conclude at 6:30 p.m on April 9 in the Charles V. Park Library Auditorium with a speech by Roxane Pacholka about her story as a survivor of child sexual abuse and a march down Main Street to “Take Back the Night." Once the march reaches the Veterans Memorial Library downtown, a survivor speak-out will take place. At the speak out, survivors of sexual violence will be able to share their stories in a safe place.

Chesterfield senior Danielle Cywka said sexual assault and violence is a topic that still isn’t talked about enough and needs addressing.

“Until everyone understands that victims are never to blame when an act of sexual aggression occurs, and until everyone understands that rape jokes aren't funny, and can understand why a survivor may not report, among so many other reasons, I will keep fighting,” Cywka said. “I'm attending Take Back The Night because while slowly but surely the culture might change, there is still so much work to be done.”