Men will be walking in red heels on campus today to raise awareness about sexual violence.
Walk a Mile in Her Shoes will be held at the University Green off McKinley Avenue today from 2 to 5 p.m. Participants will walk around Ball State's campus in red high heels.
Angie Day is in charge of the Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event and said this is something she thinks is great for raising awareness of sexual violence to the university.
"It is a project that I think is very valuable and important to the community especially at universities," Day said.
Day said they are expecting around 200 participants to walk in the event.
The Office of Victim Services has provided red high heels for the men who plan to walk.
Walk a Mile in Her Shoes was created by Frank Baird, it began as a small walk around a park and has grown to become worldwide movement. The walk has raised millions of dollars for local rape crisis centers, domestic violence shelters and other sexualized violence education said the event website.
Junior Alex Sutton, an organization communications major, is involved in the walk because of the communicating leadership class he is taking this semester.
"When you drive by on the street and you see men walking in heels, you're going to want to know what's going on," Sutton said. "I think it's a really cool concept, 'walking in her shoes.'"
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Torieal Gibson, an senior organization communication major, is participating in the event with the Ball State football team. This is Gibson's second year participating in the walk.
"It's a good experience to help out," Gibson said. "It shows people care about the situation."
Gibson said there is always a lot of people at the event, including 105 football players participating.
He said he's planning on wearing heels because he knows it's for a great cause.
After the event, the walkers can participate in zumba, tug of war, a limbo contest, relay races and a beanbag toss.
Brian Gibbons, a senior public relations major and spokesperson for the event, said walking around in heels is an effective way to raise awareness against sexual violence.
"This shows people in the community that Ball State is definitely dedicated to give back to the community and raise awareness," Gibbons said.