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Fort Lewis College joins the Clothesline Project to bring awareness to sexual assault
In recognition of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Fort Lewis College’s Wellness Peer Advisory Council (WellPAC) joined with the national movement known as the Clothesline Project in displaying t-shirts around the FLC Student Union with messages expressing viewpoints and emotions around sexual assault. The project is an effort to give voice to those affected by sexual assault and to inspire others to think more about this problem.
The focus of the Fort Lewis College Clothesline Project was to honor those who have experienced an assault, either themselves or by knowing someone who has gone through it.
“This project has been very powerful because it gives voice to experiences that aren't always heard, and in fact might be silenced,” says Kendra Reichle, FLC coordinator of Student Wellness. “Through these t-shirts we are hearing personal experiences and accounts, and they are very real. It is a creative way to bring attention to an issue that can be very hard to look at, but it is crucial on a college campus.”
In all, over 40 shirts were hung in the Student Union, joining FLC’s voice with colleges and universities across the country participating in the Clothesline Project.
This followed FLC’s participation in the It’s On Us campaign, where students, faculty and staff were encouraged to sign a pledge recognizing sexual assault as a problem for everyone and take action to put an end to it.
For more information on the Clothesline Project, visit www.clotheslineproject.org. For more on the It’s On Us campaign, visit http://itsonus.org.
About WellPAC:
The Wellness Peer Advisory Council (WellPAC) is a student-led health & wellness organization aimed at promoting healthy choices among FLC students. WellPAC reaches out to the campus through a humanistic approach, aiming to meet students where they are at with their physical, social, and emotional health.
Through educational programs, small groups, outreach efforts and peer consultations using Motivational Interviewing techniques, WellPAC hopes to provide resources for students that will support them to be happy, healthy, and successful FLC students.