Upworthy's book GOOD PEOPLE, now available - take a look!

Shop
 Explore 

college campuses

Matthew McConaughey surprised University of Texas students looking for a safe ride home.

Dozens of college students in Austin, Texas, looking for a safe ride home from campus last weekend were greeted by a surprise chauffeur.

Longhorns take care of each other, and it's 'safe' to say Matthew McConaughey agrees. Don't forget to use SURE Walk when traveling home late at night; you never know who might pick you up! #BeSafe #SafeChats
Posted by The University of Texas Student Government on Monday, November 28, 2016

Movie star Matthew McConaughey showed up on the University of Texas campus for an hour to drive golf carts for SURE Walk, a program that escorts students to and from campus late at night.

SURE — which stands for Students United for Rape Elimination — was founded in 1983, to combat sexual assault and violence on and off campus by offering free walks home to students. The school's student government reached out to McConaughey, an Austin native, to help promote the service, which he did, to the delight and shock of many students.

"A lot of people were surprised and kind of thrilled by what happened," SURE Walk director Krishan Sachdev says.

Students take selfies with McConaughey. Photo by Billy Begala/YouTube.

Sachdev explained that the program expanded last year to include golf carts, like the one McConaughey captained, and an SUV, in an effort to make the experience more user-friendly. Since then, he says, use of the service has increased by 200%.

In addition to his driver duties, McConaughey posed for pictures with students and shot a candid promotional video for the program.

Sachdev says student government has undertaken efforts to beef up and publicize the program after a high-profile murder on campus last year.

Whether the program can make a larger dent in the rate of sexual assault, which often occurs behind closed doors between people who know each other — or even between significant others — remains to be seen. Nevertheless, colleges across America have become more aggressive in their attempts to combat rape and sexual violence in recent years, with current and former students taking the initiative in many of the most high-profile cases, often finding themselves at odds with administrators in the process.

Still, Sachdev hopes that McConaughey's appearance will help publicize the program to students who might otherwise hesitate to use it.

SURE Walk recently expanded its operating hours from 10 p.m.–2 a.m. to 7 p.m.–2 a.m.

"Matthew McConaughey really, really helped us in trying to normalize this service and trying to bring it to students' attention that we're here and we're here to stay," Sachdev says.

Photo by Billy Begala/YouTube.

As UT students learned over the weekend, there's nothing like a world-famous movie star rolling up in a golf cart to make asking for help seem, ironically, normal.

How this university is fighting back against sexual assault, one student at a time.

At Oxford University, consent classes are now required. More schools should follow suit.

“It's just locker room talk.”

"Boys will be boys."

“Grab ‘em by the pussy.”

I wish I could say it took time to come up with examples of perpetuating sexual assault. I wish I'd had to dig really deep for evidence. But the truth is, I had to figure out a way to cut my list down.

Photo via iStock.

Sexual assault is pervasive and widespread.

Nearly 1 in 5 women in the U.S. have reported being raped at some point in their lives. It's been found that 27% of college women experience some form of unwanted sexual contact, and nearly 2/3 of all college students experience sexual harassment.

Sexual assault doesn't just affect women either. About 1 in 71 men in the U.S. have experienced rape or attempted rape in their lifetime. And from 1995 to 2010, 1 in 10 rape victims were men.

Fortunately, one university is trying to change all this.

University of Oxford just announced that they're making consent classes mandatory for all incoming freshmen.

The university has offered consent courses for about five years, but they're finally making the classes "compulsory," or required, according to the BBC.

Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images.

Run by the school's vice president for women Orla White, the 90-minute classes will operate within a series of workshops rather than like a typical college course. Topics like alcohol and affirmative consent will be discussed in the class, fostering real dialogue around a topic that is often overlooked on college campuses.

Oxford isn't alone: Many Americans schools are making decisions to curb sexual assault culture too.

Governor Jerry Brown made history by signing legislation to make consent education a mandatory part of the curriculum at many high schools and colleges in California. Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Maine are just a few of the states also working toward requiring campuses to use affirmative consent laws the standard for policy and legislation.

Photo via iStock.

University of Oxford's decision comes at a time where perpetuating rape culture is still viewed as "locker room talk" by far too many people.

Making consent classes mandatory everywhere is really important (some victims don't even report their assaults because they haven't realized they've been assaulted). It sends a message that joking about sexual assault is dangerous and simply unacceptable. Women and men are no longer accepting the notion that sexual violence against anyone at any point in life is somehow normal or a part of manhood.

When we educate our boys and girls about consent, we make strides toward preventing more than just sexual assault.

Sexual assault leads to a variety of issues for its survivors, from sexual transmitted infections, to post-traumatic stress disorder, to chronic pain, to strained relationships with family, friends, and intimate partners. But that doesn't have to continue. By acknowledging that we must be proactive in teaching consent, we tell our young men and women that understanding that "no" means "no" is just as important as what's taught in courses like chemistry or history.

By teaching our young people about consent, we put actions behind the idea that we are trying to do better, and our societies will be better for it.

Family

The sweet, furry approach some colleges are taking to ease students' stress is brilliant.

Spend some time with a pooch before a big final? Yes, please!

True

Being a college student comes with a lot of stress.

It involves the rigors of adulting practically on your own combined with a heavy workload, cramming your brain full of facts, trying to have a social life, and managing parents' expectations, all often topped off with worry about how you're going to pay off this expensive education.

It's a lot.

GIF from "Legally Blonde."

The hardest part for some students? They don't have a dog or cat to cuddle with like they might have had at home — and if you're a pet parent, you know just how good a de-stresser that is.

Enter adopted pets. Like Dakota.

Good dog. GIF via WTNH/YouTube.

Dakota's outlook wasn't great, reports WTNH. When she was found, Dakota was chained to a pole, awaiting euthanization.

But a local organization called TLC Sweet Souls scooped her up, trained her to become an emotional support dog, and placed her with Fairfield University in Connecticut.

Now, just as she was rescued, she gets to rescue others.

“Just seeing the dog while I am going to class or coming home from work — it is a piece of home and comfort I get to see everyday,” says sophomore student Olivia Stuart.

Who is saving whom?! GIF via WTNH/YouTube.

“Look at how much joy and love she gives to the students, me, the staff, and everyone. It is perfect. It is beautiful,” said nursing professor Carole Pomarico.

Multiple colleges across the countries are doing things just like this.

And with depression and anxiety plaguing college students in a pretty fierce way, this is an idea whose time has come.

A program at University of Minnesota, Pet Away Worry and Stress (PAWS), welcomes students every Wednesday afternoon to spend some quality time with a variety of therapy animals — dogs, bunnies, chickens, and more.

GIF via USA Today.

And that's not the only program out there. Sacramento State students started a club called Pets for Stress, which also "borrows" therapy animals for special visits throughout the year.

GIF via Chou Chou Briard.

The benefits from these programs are both instantaneous and potentially lasting.

First, the opportunity to be a therapy dog can sometimes change the life of adoptable pets in shelters.

And the benefit to students is worthwhile. From The State Hornet:

“It's just amazing how connected a human and an animal can be. I can spend hours with them having a blast and feel less anxious or stressed." — Sacramento State student Jessica Decoque

And Rebecca Johnson, who oversees the Research Center for Human/Animal Interaction at the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine, says that studies are beginning to focus on how engaging with pets can increase a person's level of oxytocin. As she told NPR:

"That is very beneficial for us. Oxytocin helps us feel happy and trusting."

That's why puppies can reach almost anybody!

GIF from "Parks and Recreation."

Pets with all kinds of secret skills are just waiting to be found and give their love and support.

If your school doesn’t have a Pet for Stress program yet, ask a local shelter if you can visit and spend time with some animals. You’ll de-stress both you and the pets.

Could the source of your emotional support be just a click away? You can use Petfinder to find a shelter close to you!

We can only hope this idea gets shared far and wide and becomes a trend on college campuses across America. Students deserve to relax and connect, and therapy animals thrive on getting to do their jobs!