NASHVILLE (AP) - A coalition of Vanderbilt University groups is urging people to wear green dots to the football season opener against Mississippi.

The gesture comes in the wake of four former Vanderbilt football players being charged in the reported sexual assault of an unconscious female student in a dormitory.

Student Government Association President Isaac Escamilla says the green dots symbolize shared responsibility for campus safety. Escamilla says the campus community must be committed to treating one another with dignity and respect.

The season opens Thursday night with a home game against Mississippi, to be carried on ESPN. Students will be handing out the dots outside the stadium.

During the 2013-14 seasons, all Vanderbilt teams will wear green dots on their uniforms.