GRAMMY-NOMINATED NIGHT Imani Winds put on a show in the Doudna Fine Arts Center Friday. Special Project Reporter Chacour Koop reviews their performance.
MURRAY STATE UPSET
Eastern’s men’s basketball team upset Murray State 79-70 Saturday night in Lantz Arena.
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Dai ly Eastern News WWW.DAILYEASTERNNEWS.COM
THE
“TELL THE TRUTH AND DON’T BE AFRAID”
VOL. 97 | ISSUE 103
Monday, February 18, 2013
EAStern | sexual assault
Jacob Salmich | The Daily Eastern Ne ws
Participants in Thursday’s flash mob perform on the front lawn of Old Main. The event was put on by SACIS, the Women’s Empowerment League and HOPE. The flash mob was intended to show support for survivors of sexual assault.
Community members emphasize assault survivor support By Nike Ogunbodede Staff Reporter
Jeanne Ludlow, the coordinator of the Women’s Studies Program and the Women’s Resource Center, said the current discussions on campus and in CharlesAs the seconds dwindled down to their performance, ton pertaining to sexual assault and violence made this speakers talked about the importance of community display of comradery important. “I think that we are at a point of revolution in and national support for survivors of sexual assault, Charleston and at EIU, and we are going to dance,” domestic violence and child abuse. Ludlow said. At 4:15 p.m. Ludlow said the T h u r s d a y, Pr e s i progress that has dent Bill Perry, Dan been made to comNa d l e r, t h e v i c e bat sexual violence president for stupeople reported aggravated batteries criminal sexual and increase reportdent affairs, and were reported on assault campus last year ing should be celeothers watched and brated. listened on the lawn billion women women will be sexually “We’ve had peoof Old Main as varare impacted by assaulted or beaten violence ple listen to things ious community in her lifetime and (tr y) to make members took part change, and that is in a “flash mob,” million children in million women are in The United States witness modern-day slavery never to be underpreceded by awaredomestic violence in 2013 estimated,” Ludlow ness speeches. said. Perry said he was million children are victims of domestic Though, the curhappy to witness impacted by violence violence were helped by HOPE last year re n t f o c u s o n t h e the dance. campus’ reaction to “It was the meanInformation provided by Althea Pendergast and Eastern’s 2011 Crime Statistics assault, Erin Walters, ing behind the flash the executive director of SACIS, said the sexual violence mob that was good,” Perry said. The dance, which was orchestrated by the Women’s happens on a much larger, underreported scale. “Sexual violence is an epidemic across the world,” Empowerment League, Sexual Assault Counseling and Information Services, and Charleston’s HOPE of East Walters said. Central Illinois, had more than 30 participants and SUPPORT, page 5 lasted for about four minutes.
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Women’s Studies course offers certification option By Sara Hall Online Editor It all started over lunch. Jeannie Ludlow, an English and women’s studies professor, Erin Walters, director of Sexual Assault Counseling and Information Services, and Angie Hunt, the housing program director at HOPE of East Central Illinois, had all wanted to start a course related to sexual assault and domestic violence. After weekly lunch meetings, they finally decided to create the course. Because Ludlow was the only paid employee of Eastern, she spoke to Bonnie Irwin, the dean of Arts and Humanities, about bringing in Walters and Hunt as experts. “When we decided to do the class we were like, ‘We’re going to love this,’ and we do,” Hunt said.
Course creations
Together, they created the course that not only allows students to take the class – Special Topics: Women, Gender and Violence – for credit, but also have the possibility for certification. CERTIFICATION, page 5