The slaying of University of Utah student Lauren McCluskey by her ex-boyfriend has again created intense and painful discussion about relationship violence. One in three Utah women will experience some form of domestic violence in her lifetime, and 40 percent of adult homicides in Utah are domestic violence-related. To raise awareness and provide resources for those experiencing abuse, UVU’s Center for Social Impact is encouraging ongoing dialogue.
The annual Clothesline Project will be held from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on October 30, and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on October 31. The project exists to create a visual remembrance of victims and survivors of assault and abuse in our own community. It’s an interactive exhibition comprised of T-shirts with handwritten messages from Utah County survivors of various types of abuse, or in memory of victims who died as a result of abuse. This year, there will a special shirt in memory of Lauren McCluskey.
The display is a variety of colors, each representing a specific type of violence:
White: Someone who died because of violence.
Yellow: Survivor of physical assault or domestic violence.
Red, pink, or orange: Survivor of rape or sexual assault.
Blue or green: Survivor of incest or childhood sexual abuse.
Purple: Someone attached because of their sexual orientation.
Brown or gray: Survivors of emotional, spiritual, or verbal abuse.
Black: Someone disabled as the result of an attack or someone assaulted because of a disability.
Shirts are available free of charge at the event for attendees to write their own messages free. Victims are encouraged to break the silence of abuse and begin their path toward healing by writing on a shirt in a private booth. Along with color-coded shirts, the exhibition also includes an audible element. More than just acknowledging the problem on a local level, the exhibition also encourages healing and hope for those who have personally suffered.
“A gong will ring every 10 to 12 seconds,” said Summer Valente, director of the Center for Social Impact. “This is for how often someone is being battered. A whistle is for reported rapes. That happens every minute of every day. Those are incredibly under-reported. A bell represents someone who is killed in a violent attack. That happens three or four times each day.”
“It is a real sensory experience,” she said. “You are hearing, seeing, feeling the pain of these people.”
On Wednesday, Mikaela Raun will present “It Starts and Ends with Consent” to educate attendees on consent via training and scenarios. The presentation will be from 1-1:50 p.m. in the UVU Grand Ballroom.
Raun graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in family life and a minor in sociology. She began her work in abuse prevention as an education intern at the Center for Women and Children in Crisis. She currently works at the center as the prevention education specialist.
Event information:
The entire program will take place in the Grand Ballroom at UVU.
Tuesday, October 30
8 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Exhibit
Wednesday, October 31
8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Exhibit
Wednesday, October 31
1 – 1:50 p.m.
Speaker: Mikaela Raun
“It Starts and Ends with Consent”
University Marketing & Communications
Scott Trotter
801-863-6807 | [email protected]
Barb Smith
801-863-5274 | [email protected]
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At 39,931 students and growing, Utah Valley University is the largest public university in the state of Utah and one of a few in the nation offering a dual-mission model that combines the rigor and richness of a first-rate teaching university with the openness and vocational programs of a community college. UVU’s unique model, which focuses on student success, engaged learning, rigorous academic programs, and faculty-mentored research, is transforming higher education by making it more affordable and accessible to students of all backgrounds.