Sexual assault survivor to speak at Arkansas State University

Tim Mousseau, a sexual assault survivor, will speak April 2 on the Arkansas State University campus. His lecture will be held during Sexual Assault Awareness week. The event, part of A-State’s Pack Pact campaign, will begin at 3 p.m., inside the Reng Student Union Auditorium. Admission is free.

An Air Force kid who never lived anywhere longer than four years, Mousseau has traveled the country and the world. Working as a motivational speaker specializing in the areas of innovation and leadership, he has found a mission working for his fraternity, Sigma Chi. He has lectured at 175 campuses across the country through the National Interfraternity Council.

Mousseau discovered he was the victim of sexual assault through a photograph and subsequent blackmail campaign, according to ASU. With no memory of the event, he struggled through years of silence until deciding to write about what happened to him. The reaction from hundreds made him realize he had an opportunity through recalling his journey to help other victims and to reset conversations related to how communities deal with sexual assault.

Mousseau will talk about strategies on how to understand the difference between cultures of shame and cultures of acceptance when creating safe environments for conversations about sexual assault. Mousseau’s talk opens the week, which includes the unveiling of a unique denim installation by the ASU Department of Art and Design and additional programs April 2-6.

Leading up to Sexual Assault Awareness week will be the Pact Fact Walk, on March 13. The campus walk of unity with survivors begins at noon. Participants will follow a trail of sexual assault statistics on their mile-and-a-half walk.