USU participates in domestic violence awareness through the clothesline project

October is domestic violence awareness month, and organizations around campus make it a priority to allow students and faculty to realize the importance of fighting against domestic violence. 

Sarah Timmerman is manager and Women and Gender Equity Program coordinator for the USU Inclusion Center.  

The organization, located in the TSC, has a goal to create a community where “students, staff and faculty are valued, where diversity of perspectives and identities are explored in a safe and respectful environment,” according to their mission statement. 

The Inclusion Center is participating in the clothesline project, which was started in 1990 by a group of women who decided to use visual T-shirt art to tell stories and experiences about domestic violence. 

Timmerman had been participating in the project since 2014, when she started as an intern for the Women in Gender Equity Program, and she has annually continued it since. 

Timmerman said the clothesline project is crucial to domestic violence awareness.  

 “Projects like this bear witness to survivors and victims of interpersonal violence, and can help with the healing process of survivors or those who have lost a loved one to interpersonal violence,” Timmerman said.  

Timmerman brought up a statistic that inspired the women in 1990 to start the clothesline project.  

 “58,000 soldiers died in the Vietnam war, 51,000 women were killed during that same period by those close to them,” Timmerman said.  

This fact fueled the group to become nationwide, with USU being active participants since 1996. 

“For the broader campus community, these projects educate, document and raise awareness of the extent of interpersonal violence in our community, while providing information on community resources and how to get help for those experiencing intimate partner violence,” Timmerman said.  

Timmerman said the university and the state can benefit from more awareness when it comes to improving on important issues. 

 “Utah continues to have high levels of domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse,” Timmerman said.  

 Timmerman also cited that, “In particular, college-aged women, 18 to 24 and 25 to 34, generally experience the highest rates of intimate partner violence.” 

 Timmerman said USU has a responsibility to help give voices to survivors and provide resources for students who have experienced domestic violence from a loved one. 

 The Sexual Assault and Anti-Violence Information Office is an on-campus organization dedicated to providing safe advocacy to students, faculty and staff. 

 SAAVI provides full-time victim advocates to students who need it, including Sean Anderson, who works in the SAAVI office. He meets with survivors of interpersonal violence, and provides emotional support.  

 Anderson said SAAVI has multiple goals in what they do. 

 “One is to reduce the amount of interpersonal violence on campus.” Another is to “support the survivors of interpersonal violence,” Anderson said.  

 Anderson said USU is a good place for the work SAAVI does.  

 “They happen at Utah State,” Anderson said. “I have survivors in my office every day who are impacted by interpersonal violence.” 

   Anderson and SAAVI also participated in the clothesline project, and they aim to make it anonymous for survivors who are active participants in the T-shirt designs. They have control over their story. 

 The clothesline project can be found around the TSC and campus, featuring the T-shirt art done by survivors of domestic violence. SAAVI and the Inclusion Center are available on campus for any students who need education on how to combat domestic violence.