Oct.10, 2007
the
Vol.79 Issue 7
The voice of Austin Peay State University students since 1929
state
Govs football well on way to SGT. York trophy page 10
First copy free, additional copies 50 cents each
Clothesline exhibits rage, hurt
PHOTOS BY PATRICK ARMSTRONG/ASSISTANT FEATURES EDITOR
Left: These six shirts and onsie are part of the almost 400 items making up the APSU portion of The Clothesline Project. All the shirts were made by someone in the APSU community.
Top: Last April’s Clothesline Project display. The event is held three times a year on the APSU campus.
Therapeutic outlet promotes healing to victims of violence By STEPHANIE COWARD Editor in Chief
One in every two women will be in a violent relationship. One in three women will be beaten, coerced into sex or suffer some other form of abuse during her lifetime, according to the Family Violence Prevention Fund (AVFP). October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month – an annual campaign put in place to help educate the public. Throughout the month, local and national organizations raise awareness to the domestic violence both men and women suffer daily. According to the AVFP Web site,“On average, more than three women are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends in this country everyday.” (www.endabuse.org).While women are not the only victims of domestic violence, statistics show a higher rate of female victims in comparison to male victims.AVFP states that “intimate partner homicides accounted for 33.5 percent of the murders of women and less than
four percent of the murders of men.” One aspect of domestic violence education is The Clothesline Project. The Project began in 1990 with 31 shirts hung on a clothesline in Hyannis, Mass., each depicting a story of abuse. Since its inception, The Clothesline Project has spread throughout the U.S. The Project made its way to Austin Peay State University in 1996. Since its birth on campus,Women’s Studies Professor, Jill Eichhorn along with APSU students, has hung the clothes out on the line throughout campus. Clotheslines are strung up near the University Center and then the shirts the heart of the event - are hung for display. This semester, the Women’s Studies Program along with the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance (FMLA) is sponsoring the event. The shirts will be on display Oct. 11 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. “The Clothesline Project allows individuals to see those affected by violence and also helps in the healing process for those who have been affected but have yet to share their story,” said Jenny Harris, senior broadcast major and FMLA president. A survivor or someone close to a survivor of sexual abuse or domestic violence has made
each shirt that is hung on campus; every shirt is affiliated with the APSU community as a student and/or staff member has created it. “It’s important for people to come and read these T-shirts to get a glimpse into the suffering many women carry around with them everyday,” Eichhorn said. Every shirt on the line is different. Many shirts include statements written by the survivor while some deliver a more physical statement with rips and tears, but all deliver a message. It is the message that is intended to affect the viewer, thus encouraging change in attitude and action. The color of the shirt is the only aspect the survivor doesn’t have control over. Each color symbolizes the violence a survivor has undergone. The colors symbolize the following: white - murder; blue or green - childhood assault or incest; yellow or beige - assault or domestic violence; purple or lavender - rape or sexual assault; red, pink or orange - violence based on sexual orientation. “I think it’s important to have this event to promote awareness to these issues because they’re often ignored and discarded,” Harris said. Those who have survived abuse or those who know individual survivors are encouraged to
make a shirt for The Clothesline Project. There will be a table set up for making shirts at the Oct. 12 event. A spin-off of The Clothesline Project is The Handprint Project. The Handprint Project is for male survivors or abuse and for those men who pledge to help end the violence. By imprinting his hand on a shirt, a man is pledging “to neither tolerate sexual violence nor condone it with my silence,” according to The Handprint Project’s 2005 brochure on the feminist campus Web site (http://www.feministcampus.org).Again, those interested can create a shirt at the upcoming event. ✦
Fast Facts:
• More than 52 percent of all rape/sexual assault victims were females younger than 25. • Eighty-four percent of women raped on college campuses knew their attacker. • Forty-two percent of college rape victims told no one about the assault and only five percent reported the crime to police. — www.feministcampus.org
New bookstore manager changes up the shelves “We’re part of campus.We don’t want people to see us as a separate company.We’re part of the university.”
Stacy England,bookstore General Manager By TANYA LUDLOW Assistant News Editor
The APSU bookstore opened under new management July 2. Formerly operated by Follett Higher Education Group, the bookstore is now managed by Validis Resources. New General Manager of the bookstore, Stacy England, is hoping that the changes he has initiated will translate into the bookstore becoming a prominent feature of the campus community instead of just a place to buy textbooks. “We’re part of campus.We don’t want people to see us as a separate company.We’re part of the university,” England said. Although some of the high profile changes include promotional giveaways at APSU tailgating parties and games, the store is also open on game days in comparison to the former’s hours. England says that the most significant changes are on the operational side and might not be apparent to student customers. “We’re much more service oriented. Professors have noticed a difference in the way I deal with
faculty and staff,” England said. England also retained some of the staff that worked in the bookstore when it was managed by Follett, a fact that is not lost on graduate student Cati Montgomery. “There’s still a sense of familiarity with the people you know and trust,” Montgomery said. England is also hoping to boost the store’s campus profile by donating door prizes for charitable events and sponsoring campus organizations. During Homecoming, the bookstore donated APSU athletic clothing to a terminally ill child who rode in the parade as part of his wish that was made through the Make a Wish Foundation. “We gave him a hat, shirt, pants, everything to make his day,” England said. Validis also has a partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation to plant trees as part of a book buy-back program. “Every time you sell back your books it’s helping the environment and a student save money,” England said. Because prices are at the forefront of most students minds when it comes to buying textbooks, England is quick to point out that the bookstore’s main competitor in Clarksville, Study Master, isn’t always the best way to save on textbooks. “People are under the impression that their books are always cheaper; they’re not,” England said. Despite England’s optimism about the current and future success of the bookstore under Validis
MARSEL GRAY/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
In July, Validis Resources took control of the Ann Ross Bookstore from Follett Higher Education Group.
Resources, some students still see a lot of room for improvement. Sophomore art major, Joshua Buckman, complained about the lack of art supplies available at the bookstore. “They don’t carry any art supplies. I usually have to go to Hobby Lobby,” Buckman said. Other students criticized the bookstore’s
Perspectives
Features
Sports
Online
Parking problems have not been parked.
Legends of fall have a rich history
Lady Govs remain winless in the Ohio Valley Conference
Receive breaking news in your inbox, register with The All State
selection of books not required for classes. “It sucks,” said Devin Walls, junior, English major. “I guess it’s not what they’re there for, but there’s nothing you can find there you couldn’t find at Walmart,” Walls said. “They didn’t even have Professor Falconer’s poetry book,” Walls said. ✦
FYI ✦ Don’t miss breaking news and
other updates during fall break at www.theallstate.com ✦ The All State is taking next week off; look for us on newstands Oct.24.