Because the night ...

Students and faculty join to protest sexual violence during vigil

By KODI HIRST
Staff Writer

Around 200 candles lit up USC Wednesday night as students, faculty and staff participated in the third annual Take Back the Night march, a candlelit vigil protesting sexual violence.
Take Back the Night, a program co-sponsored by the Center for Women and Men and Women's Student Assembly, is a nationwide program designed to focus on the issue of sexual violence.
"Take Back The Night is an opportunity for the campus to engage issues of sexual assault and dating violence as it effects the university community," said Elizabeth Davenport, assistant dean for Student Affairs. In addition to educating, Take Back the Night is also created to raise awareness.
"It's meant to bring USC students together around this issue," said Courtney Malloy, program coordinator for the Center for Women and Men. "It is a problem and it's a problem for everyone."
The participants gathered at 7 p.m. at Hahn Plaza to begin their march past Von Kleinsmid Center and EVK and then down Figueroa Street to 28th Street. The procession then traveled west to University Parkway and back south, ending at Bovard Auditorium. Along the way, the marchers paused at 11 stations where campus groups such as Amnesty International, Gay, Lesbian, and Bi Association, Campus Cruiser and Hillel Jewish Center gave presentations. Each station dealt with a specific aspect of sexual violence through skits and brief educational speeches.
As the march continued, the intensity increased, ending with an open mic where participants shared their experiences or feelings on sexual violence. Students were also encouraged to write their thoughts on the sidewalk with chalk.
"Take Back The Night is an opportunity for those who have remained silent to talk," said Rachel Russell, director of Women's Student Assembly and a senior majoring in psychology. "It is an important part of healing."
Take Back The Night drew survivors of sexual violence as well as students showing support for the program and survivors.
"I think this is one of the best programs on campus," said Maryanna Abdo, a freshman majoring in cinema-television critical studies and English. "I don't think that there is much awareness on campus about violence against women. It's often mocked." Although the audience was predominately female, several men came to show their support.
"I want women to know that in some cases they can even turn to men for help," said George F. Heller, a sophomore majoring in filmic writing. Heller also recognized his duty as a member of the community to be educated on issues dealing with sexual violence.
Take Back the Night was started in England 30 years ago as a protest in response to a suggestion that if women wanted to stay safe, they should stay home. This program has since evolved into a campaign to stop sexual violence, inspiring Davenport to begin the program at USC three years ago. Although Take Back The Night marches occur across the nation, Meghan Finn, programmer for Women's Student Assembly and freshman majoring in theater, describes the USC march as "unique" due to the addition of stations.
Davenport decided to add the stations three years ago to make the march more inclusive of the university community.
In conjunction with Take Back The Night, the Clothesline Project, created by the Center for Women and Men, made its debut Tuesday. The Clothesline Project features T-shirts made by victims of sexual violence or in memory of a sexual violence victim.
"The project is about showing what the experience is like," Malloy said. " When people read these, they understand what is happening." Each shirt is color-coded to represent different types of sexual violence.
The Clothesline Project has the dual purpose of raising awareness and functioning as an important part of the healing process for sexual violence victims.
"Its very therapeutic," Malloy said. "It allows (victims) to name what happened."
Unlike Take Back The Night, which occurs annually, the Clothesline Project is an ongoing activity that will be displayed a few times per year.
The Clothesline Project started in 1990 and is nationwide, but this is the first year USC has created its own clothesline.
"For the students I interacted with, it was very positive for them," Malloy said. "It's a hard thing to do."

Copyright 1999 by the Daily Trojan. All rights reserved.
This article was published in Vol. 136, No. 40 (Thursday, March 25, 1999), beginning on page 1 and ending on page 15.