By Sandra Smith
The Clothesline Project and Take Back the Night events were held on Wednesday evening by University of Maryland’s Campus Advocates Respond and Educate to Stop Violence, or CARE, in hopes to raise awareness about sexual assault on campus.
Across McKeldin Mall, T-shirts designed by victims of sexual assault hung from the trees. Shirts read: “It’s not your fault,” “No means no,” and “Coercion is not consent.”
Lucy Hebner, an employee at CARE who focuses on peer outreach, said she believes the scope of power-based violence on campus should be discussed more frequently.
“Sexual assault, stalking, sexual harassment or relationship violence — these are often things that don’t get talked about,” Hebner said. “The Clothesline Project is a good way to visually represent many different people in our campus communities stories from over the years.”
Take Back the Night is a global event that honors sexual assault survivors and recognizes their strength. It allows participants to share stories and experiences within a safe community.
“Know that you are not alone and that it is not your fault — there is a whole community of people here ready to support you,” Hebner said.
Mahi Gandhi, a sophomore biochemistry major, enjoyed the visual aspects of the two events.
“I made a shirt that focused on coercion, begging and whining. We always hear that coercion does not equal consent, but some may not know that these things can fall into the category of coercion.” Gandhi said. “ It’s not talked about enough. I hope my design helps spread awareness.”
CARE gave students the opportunity to enter a prize raffle, provided resources on drug-facilitated sexual assault, gave out self-care bags, and allowed students to write an anonymous note to show support for victims.
CARE also raised money for their Victim’s Assistance Fund during the event. The fund is used to reduce costs survivors could have incurred because of the incident, according to CARE’s website.
There was also an emphasis on drug-facilitated sexual assault at the events.
Anne Price, a freshman psychology major, attended the event and said that she felt the discussion of drug-facilitated sexual assault was necessary.
“There’s a fair amount of resources on campus regarding sexual assault. I try to attend all the events to show my support for other women,” Price said.
To further support victims, students can attend events and research the best ways to be there for someone struggling. CARE’s website highlights some of the best ways to show someone support.
“Never pry. You can support without knowing exactly what happened, I feel like a lot of people don’t recognize that,” Gandhi said. “Just sit there and be with them – this means just as much as a conversation to many people.”
Featured Image: T-shirts designed by students for The Clothesline Project on April 10 at McKeldin Mall. Photo by Sandra Smith.