On April 14, URI men stood up against rape, sexual assault, and violence against women. Metaphorically walking a mile in a woman’s shoes, they went from Memorial Union to the quad and back in high heels—a humorous approach to raising awareness of a very serious issue.

Walk a Mile in Her Shoes is an international men’s march that has grown in participants each year since its 2001 founding. According to the organization’s website, ”One in six American women is a victim of sexual assault. That means someone you know, someone you care about has been or may become the victim of sexual violence.”

“The goal of the walk was for men to stand up and acknowledge that violence against women is not acceptable,” said Caitlin Carter, a swimmer and peer advocate at URI.

The URI men’s soccer team found that their good footwork didn’t come in handy while wearing heels. “It felt pretty great to get the whole team around to support the cause,” said sophomore Mike Casey. “We all could have a good laugh about struggling to walk in heels, and all of us said, ‘How do women do this?’”

“It meant a lot to me,” Carter said. “As a fellow athlete, I think that it is very important for the athletic community to come together and create a positive change in society.”

“It makes me proud to be a part of a team that participates in such a good cause,” said Joey Haught, a junior on the men’s soccer team. “We all felt good about standing up to violence against women.”