Members of the SUNY Oswego campus community are again invited to walk to remember victims of dating and domestic violence, and walk to prevent future acts, through Yards for Yeardley. The 2021 virtual month-long version will follow a very successful transition year.

With the 2020 edition starting after the beginning of the pandemic, event coordinator Lisa Evaneski, SUNY Oswego’s Title IX coordinator, set a modest goal of 1 million yards. The stunning final tally exceeded 21 million yards.

“I was impressed and honestly moved by how the campus community stepped up wherever they were for this important cause,” Evaneski said. “I hope we can keep this momentum for 2021.”

For the month of April -- which is Sexual Assault Awareness Month  -- members of the campus community can participate by walking, running, rolling (skateboard, wheelchair, rollerskates/blades, bike) or any other physical activity where one can count miles, steps or yards. 

The event raises awareness about dating and domestic violence and remembers those who lost their lives. Yeardley Love was a senior in college when she was killed by her ex-boyfriend three weeks before graduation, and the event partners with the One Love Foundation founded in her honor. 

“We walk to remember Yeardley and all of the SUNY victims of violence and we walk to prevent this from happening here,” Evaneski explained.

Participants can log yards online from April 1 through 2:30 p.m. on May 3 (the 11-year anniversary of Love’s passing). 

People are encouraged to take videos and pictures wearing clothing representing any campus group they are affiliated with, and send them to lisa.evaneski@oswego.edu for potential promotional and social media use. 

For the second straight year, those participating in the Campus Recreation Walking to Wellness will have their yards automatically counted.

For more information, visit the Yards for Yeardley page.