CWU students stripped down to raise awareness about domestic violence at the Wellness Center’s third annual Undie Run on Oct. 4.

CWU’s Jacey Watson, a senior and social services major, was one of the masterminds behind this year’s festivities. Watson is a student health education intern at the center, who specializes in sexual violence and power-based relationships, making the message behind the run particularly important to her.

Domestic violence is a subject most prefer to shy away from, but Watson approaches the subject openly and instead turns the considerably taboo topic into a message that can be easily discussed. A huge focus of the Undie Run is to spread awareness on what consent is and what it is not.

“Consent is not what you wear or how you act,” Watson said.

Consent is often misinterpreted by those who do not know what to look for, but ignorance is no excuse, which is why the run and subsequent games and talks are all centered around educating attendees.

Wellness Center Health Educator Mallory Morse is also a big supporter of the Undie Run.  Morse is also a violence prevention and response coordinator, meaning if someone has fallen victim to abuse and calls the Wellness Center for assistance, she is one of the first responders.

Prior to her arrival at CWU, Morse worked at Montana State University. She said that is where she saw the Undie Run for the first time.

“They did it as a Homecoming event in the winter time,” Morse said. She said that she found it was a fun and interactive way to get people involved and to educate them on what abuse really is.  She and Watson agreed that the run is a great way to spread awareness and information to ultimately help prevent domestic abuse altogether.
Though titled “The Undie Run,” the runners could show up wearing their normal clothes if they wanted. This helped support the message that clothes do not give consent because one should be able to wear whatever they feel good in, without fear of abuse.

The race started at 5 p.m. sharp, right after the runners had a chance to register and stretch.  During the run, stations were set up with interactive games; all of which focused on domestic violence, in addition to speakers who helped spread awareness as a means of prevention.  After all that excitement, students were welcomed to a post-run BBQ.

It was the hope of everyone putting this event together that it was not only educational, but also fun.

Morse also encourages students who are or know someone who is a victim to not stay a victim.

Aspen is a 24-hour abuse support foundation that is co-hosting the run, and they are available to listen and help at (509) 925-9384.