ST. GEORGE, Utah — To spread awareness and offer education on the prevention of sexual violence, Utah Tech University is hosting Empower & Protect Featuring Elizabeth Smart.

Smart, who was abducted in 2002 from her home in Salt Lake City when she was 14 and endured daily sexual assault, starvation and abuse for nine months before she was rescued in 2003, is set to present at 4 p.m. on Sept. 12. The presentation will take place in the Zion Room, located on the fifth floor of the Holland Centennial Commons on the Utah Tech campus. The presentation is free and open for the community to attend but registration is required.

Following Smart’s presentation, she will participate in a panel discussion including mental and physical health providers from Utah Tech’s Booth Wellness Center, the university’s director of equity compliance/Title IX coordinator and representation from the Utah Tech Police Department.

“We want to inspire and educate our students on the importance of personal empowerment,” Dru Bottoms, director of Utah Tech’s Student Resource Center, said. “It’s essential for students to feel confident in protecting themselves and overcoming challenges.”

Furthering Smart’s mission to drive change in the fight against sexual violence, a Smart Defense workshop will be available to students following her presentation. An initiative of the Elizabeth Smart Foundation, Smart Defense is a holistic self-defense training that teaches more than the martial arts techniques used for defense and escape. It also emphasizes the education surrounding sexual violence prevention and important topics like consen­t, healthy boundaries and unsafe situations. Learn more at elizabethsmartfoundation.org.

Registration for the community presentation, questions for the panel and student registration for the Smart Defense workshop can be submitted at https://forms.gle/MznxvTJGPkUsqbHg7.

Empower & Protect Featuring Elizabeth Smart is hosted by Utah Tech’s Student Resource Center, which supports UT students by offering comprehensive support to students including academic coaching, mentoring, basic needs support, advocacy programs, and community connections designed to ensure a successful university experience. They prioritize providing customized support for first-generation students and those with families or from non-traditional backgrounds. Learn more about the Student Resource Center at src.utahtech.edu.

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