Every year at least 100 students report being sexually assaulted at Penn State.

But Peggy Lorah, director at the Center for Women Students, said the number of students who are actually sexually assaulted could be more like 1,000 a year. According to the FBI, only one in 10 sexual assault victims report a crime, Lorah said.

In honor of sexual assault awareness month, tonight the Center for Women Students and Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance (FMLA), along with Men Against Violence, will host the 22nd annual Take Back the Night, an event aimed to raise awareness and break the silence about sexual assaults.

FMLA adviser Spring Cooper said Take Back the Night makes it OK to discuss sexual assault and provides information on services available.

Cooper said the event will begin at the Pattee Library steps, where speakers will discuss the event's history, men's role, support and services on campus and the importance of speaking out.

Then participants will walk downtown to the Central Parklet, where people will have the opportunity to speak out and women will be able to talk about their experiences. The march will conclude at Webster's bookstore to have an open discussion.

The Center for Women Students is one of many offices at Penn State that receive reports of sexual assaults, Lorah said. Police and Judicial Affairs also receive information, but not as often, she said.

"Even though the police work really hard to be sensitive, it's really scary for victims to trust that," Lorah said.

Many sexual assaults are not reported for a number of reasons, including the thought that it was not sexual assault, embarrassment, or dread of going through a painful court proceeding, officials from the center said.

But combating the issue of sexual assault goes far beyond a single night or month. There are ongoing initiatives by organizations and activists working to make a change and provide a safer environment on and off campus.

Breaking the misconceptions

There is a often an idea associated with sexual assaults that they occur when a criminal hiding in a bush looks for someone to assault, Rob Buelow, Men Against Violence president, said. And while stranger sexual assault and rape do happen, it's often not the case, and most sexual assault victims know their assailant, Buelow said.

Most sexual assaults occur in social settings such as residences and apartment parties, Lorah said.

Audra Hixson, special programs and training coordinator at the Center for Women Students, said substance use increases the chances of vulnerability, which assailants look for. But she said getting drunk is not a "rape-able offense."

State College Police Detective Deirdri Fishel said victims are placed in higher risk because of the presence of alcohol in State College. She added that victims who were drinking underage when an assault occurred may fear reporting the crime.

"In this community, this is an added barrier," she said, adding that victims won't be issued a ticket for underage drinking.

Getting consent also has its misconceptions, Buelow said.

"A lot of people think that ruins the mood, [but it doesn't]," he said, adding that asking someone repeatedly to have sex is not consent, but coercion.

Hixson said in today's culture of drinking and hooking up, sex has become so normalized that it doesn't faze students. A bad hookup or getting drunk, having sex and then regretting it becomes a bad night, she said. But there might be a harsher reality.

"It might meet the legal definition of sexual assault," she said.

Forming perceptions

Sexual assault is about power, and views formed about sexuality and sexual assaults are taught early by culture through the media, Lorah said.

Men are taught as boys to be tough and fearless, and they are also taught to use their bodies as weapons, Lorah said. Women are taught as girls to do things to please men and are objectified, she added.

Buelow said men sometimes attain a better status for sleeping with a lot of women.

"I think we live in a very-hyper sexualized society," he said.

Buelow said the media use passive language in sexual assault stories because of the notion of innocent until proven guilty.

He said it's often "women blames man for rape," but never "man rapes woman." The media also focus on what the woman was doing or wearing and never what the assailant was thinking, he said.

"The language needs to change," he added.

Raising awareness

Men Against Violence educates women's studies classes about sexual assault and rape, masculinity, culture and media's role, misconceptions and the importance of consent.

"It's one thing to care about these issues, but it's another thing to get involved," Buelow said.

He said sexual assault and rape are perceived as women's issues, and men are perceived as bad because they're usually the perpetrators.

"I think they are men's issues," he said. "[I] find it necessary that men become part of the solution."

Cooper said it's important that women have a plan before they go out at night. She advises students to know what they would want to do sexually before going out, let friends know the plans so they can help make decisions later in the night, always go out with friends, and control drinking.

"Any college campus probably has a lot of sexual assaults and acquaintance rape. I think a lot of people don't give it the attention it deserves," Cooper said.