Clothesline Project returns to Northern

Montana State University-Northern will highlight the issue of violence against women next week with the clothesline project, a visual display meant to show solidarity with female survivors of sexual abuse.

Monday through Wednesday, people will be able to write messages on T-shirts in the Vande Bogart Library 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Northern Grants Manager Samantha Clawson, who is in charge of the project this year, said T-shirts will then be displayed at various campus locations to mark sexual assault awareness month.

Clawson said the project is funded through a Rape Prevention and Education Grant meant to help smaller campuses like Northern educate students about the prevention of sexual abuse of women.

"Basically, we will be encouraging students to write messages of support to women who have been victims of sexual violence, and we will be asking them to craft messages about preventing sexual violence," she said.

Clawson said she and other organizers will be distributing handouts with information about how people can prevent sexual assaults or support victims as active bystanders - a person who is within close proximity to the an incident. The information will inform people about what they can to do to prevent sexual abuse or address such a situation when it does happen.

Throughout April, members of the campus community will be encouraged to sign pledges promising to be active bystanders in stopping sexual assault. Pledges will be available at the T-shirt-making station or at the information desk in Northern's Student Union Building.

For additional information on the clothesline project people can visit http://clotheslineproject.org