Eastern’s student government will present a sexual assault discussion Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in the Arcola Tuscola Room in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

Molly McLay, assistant director for the women’s resources center at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, will be speaking at the sexual assault discussion.

Reggie Thedford, student body president, said in recognition of the widespread prevalence of sexual assault nationwide, the whole month of April is designated as Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

He said McLay specializes in topics regarding in sexual assault cases.  She is also in charge of UIUC’s sexual assault awareness program called First Year Campus Acquaintance Rape Education.

“She worked in this field for years. This event is important because sexual assault is a national epidemic,” he said.  “Women are victims and we do not want that here at Eastern.”

He said this kind of assault is not only a college issue, but also a community issue.

“There are many students who live off campus, so this will relate to them as well.  Also Eastern has a relationship with the community and the safer both students and the community are in Charleston the better,” Thedford said.

He said because of the topic of the discussion there will be sensitive and triggering words people might not like when mentioned.

There will be counselors on hand for the people who need them during the speech.

“This is a proactive movement, and people need to be educated on it. People need to not only learn not to sexually abuse others, but how to intervene properly if they see it happening,” he said.

Thedford said his discussion should help decrease sexual assault on campus and in the community.

Sexual assault is an epidemic that is common around college campuses he said, so he hopes discussions like this will help lower the chances of this kind of assault happening not only in colleges but in the real world as well.

Stephanie White can be reached at 581-2812 or at sewhite2@eiu.edu.