Student body leaders in the Associated Students of the University of Utah (ASUU) continue to honor the legacy of student-athlete Lauren McCluskey with commemorative walks and runs in advance of the anniversary of her death.

Two events are open to the public:

ASUU is a proud partner of the annual Memorial Awareness Walk and invites students, faculty and staff to gather on the McCarthey Track and Field on Friday, Oct. 21, from 1-3 p.m.

Those unable to attend the event in person, can register their walks on the Lauren McCluskey Foundation page.

New this year is the inaugural Utah Race for Campus Safety, scheduled to wind through the University of Utah Campus on Saturday, Oct. 22, starting at 8 a.m. All proceeds will benefit the Lauren McCluskey Foundation, which supports campus safety, amateur athletics and animal welfare.

REGISTER FOR THE INAUGURAL 5K HERE

Lauren McCluskey was killed on Oct. 22, 2018, on the University of Utah’s campus by a man she briefly dated. Lauren made repeated reports to campus officials, campus police and city police about continual threats she received from this man after ending their relationship. After her death, the university implemented a series of improvements to campus safety.

Reason to walk and run from the Lauren McCluskey Foundation

Because we need to change the culture.
Break the cycle—43% of women in college who are actively dating claimed that they had been through abusive and/or violent behavior from someone they were dating. Nearly 58% of female victims and 49% of male victims experienced stalking before the age of 25. Dating violence, sexual assault and stalking affect millions of people in the United States each year. Universities and Colleges need to create protective environments by improving organizational policies, school climate and safety. Victims need to feel supported, listened to, and confident that they will be connected to resources that can help protect them. Hosting a Lauren McCluskey memorial/awareness walk will help raise awareness on your campus and jumpstart meaningful conversations about changing the culture of how reports of dating violence, sexual assault and stalking are responded to.

Because students can save lives.
Students are a force for change. Be a part of this walk and join thousands of students across the country to raise awareness of dating violence, sexual assault and stalking and encourage improved response to reports.

Because we can improve campus safety
We can improve campus safety and build out better response protocols on college and university campuses. Only 1 in 5 college-age women who are sexually assaulted report the attack to the police. Talking about the assault to strangers can be difficult. The fear of not being heard and believed and concern about being protected leads to non-reporting. We must improve how reports are responded to protect victims.