Syd Ovitt’s life changed forever in November 2017. The student from Pittsfield, Mass., was a freshman at the University of Vermont. She was excited about her new classes and meeting new people. But in her first semester, Ovitt says, she was sexually assaulted by a fellow student. When she reported the attack to UVM officials, a months-long ordeal followed. Her alleged perpetrator was found not guilty. Ovitt’s mental health deteriorated and her grades plummeted.

Then Ovitt got angry. She spoke publicly and often about her experience at UVM, and her story was picked in news reports. She launched a national campaign called Explain the Asterisk to require students convicted of sexual assault to have that reason noted on their transcript. She has lobbied numerous members of Congress to support the initiative.

Nationally, sexual assault on campus is pervasive. More than one out of four female undergraduates and 7 percent of males experience rape or sexual assault, according to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network.

Last week, after a UVM student posted their experience of sexual violence, the student body erupted in outrage, grief and solidarity. Scores of students have been posting on social media with their own harrowing accounts of surviving sexual violence, many on an Instagram account called ShareYourStoryUVM.

On Monday, thousands of UVM students walked out of class to protest sexual violence on campus and what they say is an inadequate response by the university. Syd Ovitt and other survivors of sexual violence addressed their classmates.

In response, the university administration has met with students and agreed to numerous demands put forth by student leaders. Erica Caloiero, interim vice provost for student affairs at UVM, stated, “The goal is for these incidents to never happen in the first place. And when they do happen, to make sure that victims are fully supported, and respondents receive a fair hearing and are held fully accountable when the circumstances warrant.”

Syd Ovitt, now a senior who will graduate from UVM later this month, shared her story with the Vermont Conversation.