In recognition of UF's sexual awareness month, about 50 people equipped with red blinking reflectors walked, jogged and sprinted around the UF campus Tuesday night for the fifth annual Take Back the Night Safety Walk.
The event was organized by two groups at UF - the Center for Sexual Assault/Abuse Recovery Education, also known as CARE, and Acting Against Rape: Every Student's Task Force, or AAREST.
Participants could choose between a nearly 2-mile walk or a roughly 3-mile walk.
University Police officer David Miles led the runners on a motorcycle, and ROTC officers were stationed throughout the route to direct the participants.
Members of CARE and AAREST applauded as the runners took off from the Reitz Union Colonnade.
Beth-Anne Blue, CARE coordinator, said the theme for this year's safety walk was "bystander apathy."
Although Gainesville's sexual assault rate is low in comparison to other cities, Blue said that's most likely because of low reporting rates. About 80 percent of sexual assaults occur between people who know each other, so few victims report abuse.
"This is about changing our culture that allows sex assault to continue," Blue said.
If women and men don't come forward, the statistics will inevitably be skewed, she said.
Blue added that alcohol increases the chances of a sexual assault.
"Wherever there's high-risk drinking, there's high risk for sexual assault," she said.
Jodi Schneider, AAREST chairwoman, said most people underestimate the seriousness of sexual assault.
"I think people hear stories and hear statistics," Schneider said. "Hearing stories - that's not reality."
People can't grasp the reality of sexual assault until it happens to them or someone close to them, she said.
Clayton Hofstra, a UF microbiology senior, said he's participated in the walk for the past four years.
"We can't take back the night," Hofstra said, referring to nights when sexual assault occurs. "We've got to prevent the night."
