James Madison University - Bluestone Schoolmaam Yearbook (Harrisonburg, VA)

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Itakebackthenightl TAKE THE [ NIGHr Students raise awareness of violence against wonnen. Walking through the Clothesline Project, student reads the mov- ing messages on shirts created by people who hove been affected by violence against women. The Clothesline Project was established in 1990 in Massachusetts. :,: staff photographer Walking through the Clothesline Project display, senior Rachel iVirPo stops to reflect on the emotional meoning behind the shirts. Each year, Take Bock the Night worked with the Clothesline Project to disploy the collection of shirts, which continued to grow each year. Photo by staff photographer I features

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by Jackie da silva and sara wist Ratified m 1789, the Constitution had served as the foundation of the United States for over 300 years. To signify its importance, U.S. Constitution in Times of PerH v as chosen as the theme for Madison Week, beginning March 14. March 16 began with the annual wreath-laying cer- emony. Held near the James Madison statue, the event featured the traditional James Madison impersonator, John Douglas Hall. Former SGA President, Tom Cul- ligan, spoke on why the university appropriately carried Madison ' s name, demonstrating qualities of scholarship and citizenship. New members were inducted into the 1787 Society, a group sponsored by the James Madison Center designed to provide students with the oppor- tunity to explore the life, philosophy and ideals of James Madison. There was also a presentation of the Donald Robertson Scholarship in elementary education. Follow- ing these events, a birthday cake for James Madison was cut and enjoyed by students, faculty and others gathered at the event. Featuring Nicholas Katzenbach, former attorney general of the United States, the Madison Day con- vocation was held later that afternoon in Wilson Hall. The university wind symphony played the processional and The Star-Spangled Banner as the convocation began, followed by a procession of historical American flags. These included St. George ' s Cross, a flag carried to the New World by early English explorers, the Betsy Ross, the first official flag of the United States, and the Star-Spangled Banner. Madison Day Convocation ended with recognitions by Dr. Douglas T Brown, provost and vice president for academic affairs, followed by an arrangement of America the Beautiful. Another major event of Madison Week was the James Madison Commemorative Debate and Citizen Forum, where debate teams competed for possession of the coveted Madison Cup. On March 16, 14 collegiate debate teams, including the university ' s team, went head to head in a full day of debates, culminating in the final round debate that evening in Wilson Hall Auditorium. Six teams advanced to the final round of debate, which focused on the issue Resolved: that the time has come for the United States to reinstate a draft for compulsory military service. During the final round, the crowd enjoyed the excitement of debate, in which several teams argued their side of the resolution while audience members were able to comment and ask questions. After much deliberation by the judges, the debate team from Towson University won possession of the Madison Cup. The team from Yale University placed second and Georgetown University ' s debate team placed third. Throughout the week, both James Madison and the university were honored as students, faculty and others who attended events celebrated a long-standing tradition of excellence. ■ m 1 — 1 ' j ll T ' . i ' Kf u «2?i ' 1 Dressing as the university ' s namesake, John Douglas Hall speaks with interested students. It was a tradition for Hall to represent Madison on this day each year. :!;■,■ ' : ' .iriher Sport ing a shirt created in the spirit of Madi- son Day, a student waifs in line for cake after the wreath-laying ceremony. Each year, the James Madison Center and the Madison Day Committee laid a wreath at the James Madison statue. by Presenting the Madi- son Cup, convocation speaker Nicholas Katzenbach stands with university officials. The cup was awarded in Wilson Hall. Phjtc by i!aif photographer madison wee l

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by sara wist As the sun set over the Commons after a perfect March afternoon, the lOth annual Take Back the Night event began. Sponsored by the Women ' s Resource Center and the Center for Multicultural and Interna- tional Student Services, Take Back the Night Vv ' as an evening dedicated to raising awareness of sexual assault and violence against women. People shouldn ' t be afraid to talk about tough issues, said coalition member Elissa Winarski, music committee head. When things are out in the open, change and healing can start to take place. Fundraising for the event began in October 2004, and the Take Back the Night coalition met twice a week during the course of the year to plan fundraisers and the event. The event began with a variety of musical perfor- mances to lighten the mood. Performers included Chris Stup, assistant director of Student Organization Services, Slave to the Brain, the Overtones and Exit 245. The heavens have shined upon us, said Hill- ary Wing-Richards, assistant director of the Women ' s Resource Center, as she introduced the evening ' s first speaker, alumnus Brad Perry. Since graduating. Perry has trained the members of One in Four, a men ' s organization dedicated to the fight against rape and sexual assault. He spoke about strategies to help end sexual abuse, saying the most important aspect was to change the attitudes and norms of our culture. Coalition members dressed in uniform purple event shirts and passed out white ribbons for students to wear to show their support of survivors of sexual assault. Dur- ing Songs of Sexism, a group of students presented popular songs from a variety of genres with sexist, vio- lent and graphical messages. Among the songs selected were Confessions by Usher, Murder, Murder by Emi- nem and Ask Me by Amy Grant. Each song was paired with a statistic that addressed each of the different songs ' lyrics, including the fact that 75 percent of sexual assault victims required medical attention after being attacked. Representatives from other women ' s resource organizations were in attendance at the event and each were given an opportunity to speak to the crowd about the services they provided. One in Four spoke on the importance of recognizing sexual assault as not only a women ' s issue, but a community issue as well. We gathered men at the event to show support to all survivors, said graduate Grant Schafer, former president of One in Four. I feel this was a powerful message and hopefully provided some comfort to survi- vors knowing that there are guys who want to be part of the solution to end violence against women. In addition to talking at the event. Citizens Against Sexual Assault (CASA) and Campus Assault Response (CARE) set up tables and distributed information to interested students. CASA ' s services included support groups, trained counselors and intervention counseling. Elizabeth Stalcup, a well-known inspirational speaker from Reston, Va., was the evening ' s second speaker. Stal- cup ran a healing center out of her church, the Church of the Apostles in Fairfax, Va., for both victims of sexual abuse and their families. The speak-out, the most powerful and emotional event of the evening, provided an opportunity for anyone in attendance to step up to the microphone and tell their stories about sexual abuse. This open forum created an atmosphere where healing could take place. Immediately following the end of the speak-out, a candle-lit march progressed through campus. There was a very small group that went on the candlelight vigil, which made it more meaningful because It was an intimate group, said graduate Audrey Koe- hler, a coalition member. The march carried a message of support to victims who chose to remain silent and demonstrated the continuing dedication to ending sexual violence.- Presented in association with Take Back the Night, the 13th annual Clothesline Project was held March 30 and 31 in Transitions. Sponsored by First Year Involve- ment, the event displayed over 500 shirts, each decorated by either a survivor of sexual assault or relatives and friends of victims. Visitors were asked to remain silent while present at the display. Sounds of screaming echoed in the distance as a gong sounded every 15 seconds, representing the statistic that every 15 seconds a woman is battered in the United States. Each shirt had a different message; some of anger, others of forgiveness. Some expressed the pain car- ried by the victim since his or her attack, while others illust rated the isolation felt as a result of his or her victimization. Whatever the theme of the shirt, each was powerful in its own way. ' As JMU students, we live in our JMU bubble and tend not to think about these important issues. One in four women at JMU will be the victim of sexual assault or attempted assault by the time she graduates, said senior Sarah Smith, Take Back the Night coalition chairperson. My motivation to become involved with the Women ' s Resource Center and Take Back the Night was to see that number decrease from one in four to one in five and eventually one in six. This will only happen if aware- ness IS created. take back the nig ¥