October 8, 2007
Campus groups plan events to raise domestic violence awareness
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - A number of Purdue University organizations will be sponsoring events this week (Oct. 8-12) in recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Beginning Wednesday (Oct. 10), the Clothesline Project, a display of T-shirts decorated as a testimony against domestic violence, will be on display in the Purdue Memorial Union Main Lounge. Survivors, their family and friends, and others who want to take a stand against domestic violence used words or artwork to decorate the shirts.The project started in 1990 when visual artist Rachel Carey-Harper, moved by the power of the AIDS quilt, presented the idea of using shirts hanging on a clothesline as a vehicle for raising awareness. According to the Clothesline Project Web site, currently there are about 500 projects nationally and internationally with more than 50,000 shirts.
"This is a powerful event, and people who have been affected by domestic violence have been able to participate by decorating a shirt," said Shannon Drew, director of ideas and issues for Purdue Student Union Board, one of the display's sponsors. "Women who have been affected by domestic violence can use this display as a therapeutic opportunity to share their story and find support from people who have had similar experiences."
Also on Wednesday, the Take Back the Night Vigil and Rally, a protest against violence against women, will begin at 7 p.m. in the lobby of the Materials and Electrical Engineering Building. Following the vigil, the Take Back the Night march will leave the building on a route heading to the Latino Cultural Center.
"We are very excited about the opportunity to collaborate with several other organizations on campus for Take Back the Night this year," said Amanda Fox, director of risk management for the Panhellenic Association, one of the event sponsors. "As Panhellenic women, we strongly believe that the best way to take a stand against domestic violence is to provide meaningful education and awareness opportunities such as Take Back the Night. We hope that anyone who wants to learn more about this issue or raise awareness joins us."
Display and event sponsors include Alpha Chi Omega sorority, Purdue Student Union Board, Panhellenic Association, Interfraternity Council, Purdue Organization for Women's Equality and Rights, Purdue chapter of the National Organization for Women, Women's Resource Office, the Domestic Violence Intervention and Prevention Program, Lafayette Crisis Center, Office of the Dean of Students, Student Wellness Office, Office of the Vice President of Human Relations, Purdue University Police Department and the YWCA Domestic Violence Intervention and Prevention Program.
Writer: Christy Jones, (765) 494-1089, christyjones@purdue.edu
Sources: Amanda Fox, (317) 373-4038, afox@purdue.edu
Molly Durr, Panhellenic Association director of public relations, (630) 544-8506, mpdurr@purdue.edu
Shannon Drew, (765) 494-8976, psub-ideasissues@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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