On April 8, the “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes” event was held on campus in the Cave. The format of the walk, however, is different this year. Rather than having a group of men don red high heel shoes and walk a mile in them, the cave setup features a red carpet across the stage with a button on each end. When stepped on, the button added to a counter displayed on a screen above the carpet.
Instead of walking a mile, participants were encouraged to walk as many times as they were willing across the red-carpet stage to aid the collective goal of five miles walked. Participants were allowed to choose the song they strutted to. A $5 registration and $5 shoe rental were available, but participants could bring their own shoes. Awards were distributed for “Most Laps Walked,” “Individuals That Break a Mile,” and “Most Creative Heels.”
Kate Emmerich, counselor and event coordinator, began overseeing the “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes” event in 2014. Since 2019, Emmerich has collaborated with ETSU’s fraternity and sorority life. Emmerich, who is in charge of an OASIS program on sexual violence and prevention, is very invested in the message of the event, which is to raise awareness on the causes and effects of sexual violence.
Emmerich said it has become harder to follow the initial rules of the event, in which women were not required to don high heels, but men were. Given the variance of gender identity, it is now more difficult to make those decisions.
“It’s an experiential campaign,” Emmerich continued. “So that the person can really feel, in this very small, representative way, the pain of having to walk in someone’s shoes who might be much more likely to experience this type of violence.”
April is sexual assault awareness month, and the OASIS Instagram account, @oasis_etsu, will be posting regularly to bring awareness.
“This topic is really near and dear to my heart,” said Emmerich. “We do try to normalize having frank and honest conversations with each other about sexuality and relationships and gender.”
Students with questions or concerns can email oasis@etsu.edu or seek aid at the counseling center on campus.
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