Survivors and allies alike came together yesterday to march to raise awareness and provide support for sexual assault survivors.

ASWSU’s “It’s On Cougs” hosted the Stand for Survivor March, in which about 50 survivors, supporters and their dogs gathered to show that they believe there is a need for change. The march began on the WSU campus on the Glenn-Terrell Friendship Mall yesterday evening and ended in Reaney Park.

When three survivors approached Kelsey Phariss, a sexual assault survivor herself and director of “It’s On Cougs”, with the idea of the march, she said she thought it would be a great for Sexual Assault Awareness month and ASWSU Week of Awareness.

Skylar Banka, one of the march organizers, said the event was motivated, in part, by the People v. Turner case. Brock Turner was a Stanford swimmer who was convicted of rape in 2015.

“It came to our attention how much was left out,” Banka said, “It was an ignition to the entire event.”

The sounds of marching footsteps intertwined with chanting voices as participants cried out in unison. The marchers alternated chanting “Whatever we wear, wherever we go, yes means yes and no means no,” and “We have the right not to be scared at night.”

Alexan Ranney, a march organizer, said they wanted to emphasize supporting survivors and giving them a safe space.

“There is a definite dissonance between showing explicit support and passive support,” Phariss said. “I think this community has a real problem with being passive in terms of supporting its survivors.”

The march organizers encouraged participants to bring their own signs in order to showcase their experiences surrounding sexual assault. ASWSU also provided signs and ribbons for marchers to wear in show of solidarity during their walk. Pullman police officers accompanied the group to ensure the safety of those in attendance.

Ranney said the event entailed eight months of planning and combining of ideas.

For some, such as Alex Kaprosy, who said his mom is a sexual assault survivor, the march meant much more.

“A lot of times, the attention goes to the wrong place,” Kaprosy said. “Like what the victim wore, or that they may be lying. We need to change our focus to being there for the people affected by this.”

Johanna Matthynssens, a march participant, said she was there to support her friends who have experienced sexual assault.

“It’s nice to know there are people out there like this,” Matthynssens said. “Even having a chant about what we wear and that it isn’t the reason why.”

Mike Gray, a member of the Alpha Kappa Lambda fraternity, brought some of his fraternity brothers with him.

“It’s just another opportunity to show that you care,” Gray said.

The march ended with a rally in Reaney Park where Vanessa Corwin, a campus advocate with the Alternatives to Violence of the Palouse, spoke about her experiences and how to help survivors in the future and decrease sexual assault rates in the Pullman and WSU communities.

“[This march] means that people are willing to stand up and say that it is a large issue that cannot be accepted,” Corwin said.