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Ogden • Brysen Bodily knew sexual assault was a problem on college campuses, but found himself at a loss for how to fix it.

"I had a lack of understanding, as a man, of what the issues are and how I can help," said Bodily, a Weber State University junior.

But after listening to Ted Bunch, co-founder of A Call to Men, speak at the university Thursday, Bodily had a plan in place: stand up to his coworkers and friends who treat women poorly.

"The best way to counteract sexism and the lack of respect toward women is when you have the courage to stand up against it alone," Bodily said.

Bunch spoke as part of the third Allen Holmes Diversity Symposium, which allows students and community members to discuss inclusion issues. His organization educates men on healthy masculinity, respect toward women and preventing sexual assault.

His main message: If men speak up against sexual assault and domestic violence, they can make a difference.

The onus is always put on women to be safer and prevent violence from being perpetrated against them, he said.

Parents and role models tell women entering college to always watch their drinks and walk home with someone, for example, but men are not being spoken to about respecting women, he added.

A lot of this discrepancy stems from how boys are raised, he said. Many are taught that women are property, Bunch said, that they have less value.

He used the example of a young male athlete being told he "threw like a girl." When a young boy is told this, he "learns that women have less value than men and we treat them like that," Bunch said.

They're also taught that women should be objectified, he added.

"From the time she's born a girl, we're talking about" when she can have sex, he said. "The message is opposite to our boys: that you're supposed to get something and if you don't, you're falling short on manhood. She becomes a conquest. An object."

The decreased value of women, coupled with objectification of women, creates an arena where discrimination and violence against them is accepted, he said.

But men can help counteract this socialization, and subsequent treatment, of women; they can speak up and challenge their peers.

"The overwhelming majority of that violence is men's violence, that's a fact," he said. "The majority of men are not violent, but we're silent. The silence is as much of a problem as the violence."

Cody Brown, a senior at Weber, attended the symposium Thursday. He works at the Women's Center on campus, a position he sought because he "understood the problem of sexual violence and would like to be able to help influence change."

He noted how important it is to change the culture surrounding women, even if in a small way, because "men don't talk about how sexual assault is not OK."

"If people don't speak up, then not speaking up is basically consent," he said.

Twitter @alexdstuckey