Sexual Assault Awareness Week Feb. 26-March 1
Sexual Assault Awareness Week will take place Monday, Feb. 26, through Thursday, March 1, at Georgia Southern University. The Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) urges the Georgia Southern campus and the community to get involved. ‘The events planned are designed to raise awareness of the issues and incidence of sexual assault in our campus community, as well as show support to those who have been victims of such crimes,” said Jodi Caldwell, psychologist in the Counseling Center and chair of SART.
During the week, participants can decorate a free t-shirt as part of The Clothesline Project, available at the Russell Union Rotunda. The Clothesline Project started on Cape Cod, Mass., in 1990 to address the issue of violence against women. The program is a vehicle for women affected by violence to express their emotions by decorating a shirt. Participants hang completed shirts on a clothesline to be viewed by others as a testimony to the problem of violence against women. Past shirts will also be on display at various locations on campus.
On Tuesday, Feb. 27, at 7 p.m. in the Russell Union Theatre, Brett Sokolow will present ‘Drunk Sex or Date Rape: Can You Tell the Difference?” The presentation will give the audience facts of an actual court case and the opportunity to rule as to whether or not a sexual assault has been committed. The real outcome is revealed and legal points are explained. Sokolow is the founder of the National Center for Higher Education Risk Management. Legal and law enforcement personnel are also invited to this workshop.
On Thursday, March 1, at 6 p.m., a Take Back the Night march and rally will be held beginning at the Hanner Fieldhouse and ending at the Russell Union Rotunda. The march will be followed by a Rally to End Sexual Violence at 6:30 p.m. Survivors are invited to speak out about their own experience. The 2007 Clothesline Project will be dismantled and a candlelight vigil will be held in memory of those who have suffered through sexual and domestic violence.
Following spring break on Monday, March 19, and Tuesday, March 20, SART will hold the workshop ‘How to Help a Friend Who Has Been Sexually Assaulted.” Spring break is historically a time of increased incidence of sexual violence. This workshop will discuss how friends can be supportive and helpful to a victim. Time and location will be announced.
For more information, contact Caldwell at 912-681-5541 or via e-mail at jodic@georgiasouthern.edu. For more information on SART, visit http://www.georgiasouthern.edu/outreach/sart/
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