By Pablo Gonzales | Assistant Web Editor
The It’s on Us Advisory Council hosted its second annual Clothesline Project on Sunday evening in the Bill Daniel Student Center to launch Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
The Clothesline Project was started in 1990 on Cape Cod, Mass., to address the issue of abuse against women, according to the National Clothesline Project Network. The project was started as a way for anyone to express their feelings by decorating a blank T-shirt. All the shirts are to be hung on a clothesline so that they are seen by others in an effort to speak out against the atrocity of violence against women.
“These events are important because I don’t think very many people are aware of the realities of sexual assault,” said Georgetown junior Audrey Hamlin, president of the It’s on Us Advisory Council. “This is an issue that is not often discussed because it is so sensitive and so personal. People have a lot of misconceptions of sexual assault, and I think that when people look at the shirts they will be able to better understand the experience of being a sexual assault survivor.”
The It’s on Us Advisory Council has created a campaign to spread awareness about sexual assault on college campuses throughout the month of April. Considering recent events regarding the sexual assault scandal at Baylor, the campaign has sparked an interest among students.
“People weren’t talking about this at all, and now we’re giving people an outlet to talk about it,” said Fort Worth junior Caroline Grace, social chair of the It’s on Us Advisory Council. “This is a time for Baylor to show up and engage the issue and not hide it and pretend like it doesn’t happen here.”
The Title IX Office continues to work to increase awareness of its resources on campus. In cooperation with the It’s on Us Advisory Council, the Title IX Office works to make sure students understand what is available to them and the rights they have, Grace said.
“I think awareness for Title IX awareness has increased on campus in my last three years at Baylor,” Plano junior Alexis Okoro said. “I feel like these events are so important because they empower survivors and non-victims alike to stand together and support each other.”
Throughout the month of April, the It’s on Us Advisory Council will host a variety of events to increase awareness of sexual assault on campus. For more information, go to baylor.edu/TitleIX.
