University of Arkansas Fayetteville - Razorback Yearbook (Fayetteville, AR)

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STOPTHESILENCE STORY: CHRISTINA WILKERSON PHOTO: JAMIE STRICKLIN DESIGN: ERIN NELSON Sexual assault cases have always been handled with delicate fingers and awkward chasses, but when nationwide awareness began to define the amorphous concept, the UA planted its feet and addressed the most underreported crime on campus. A peculiar email popped up in student ' s inboxes early September from Title IX Coordinator Shannon Haupt to remind students of the university ' s commitment to create a safe and inclusive environment. The email promoted an optional one- hour, online course called Haven: Understanding Sexual Assault. The university is part of the nationwide discussion and encourages all community members to take reasonable and prudent actions to prevent or stop an act of harassment or violence, Haupt said in the campus wide email notification. The nationwide discussion began to pick up momentum when the term affirmative consent made headlines September 28 with the revolutionary Californian law, Senate Bill 967. ' Affirmative consent ' means affirmative, conscious and voluntary agreement to engage in sexual activity. It is the responsibility of each person involved in the sexual activity to ensure that he or she has the affirmative consent of the other or others to engage in the sexual activity. Lack of protest or resistance does not mean consent, nor does silence mean consent, the Senate Bill 967 said. The new law changed the previous No Means No slogan to Yes Means Yes, began to re-write society ' s perception of sexual assault and challenged many other universities to change their policies. For some, these developments shone light on a shadowy issue, but for Mary Wyandt-Hiebert they were a welcome addition to her efforts to raise awareness. Hiebert, the STAR Central director worked to advocate for sexual assault victims on campus. She worked with RESPECT-Rape Education Services by Peers Engaged in Conscious Thought- to launch the Meme Project and That ' s So 6 Percent campaigns. Haven is another program that will bring more attention to the issue, Wyandt-Hiebert said. It ' s one more way of reaching out to our students and delivering the message about, this is what sexual assault is, bystander intervention is important, and here are some tips on how to intervene and ways to intervene, here ' s why it ' s necessary to intervene, and pointing out the provenance and the need to change the way address sexual assault issues that surround us on an everyday basis. 32 Fall

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REVIVING A RELIC STORY: HANNAH HUNGATE PHOTOS: DAVID SKINNER DESIGN: ERIN NELSON One of the University of Arkansas ' s most historic features was a clamor of construction, renovation, rebirth and construction noise ... The Chi Omega Greek Theater underwent restoration in the fall of 2014. The monument, which was listed on the National Register for Historic Places in 1992 according to the UA website, has been used for a variety of campus functions, including convocations, commencements, dramas, concerts and hog-calling pep rallies. However, as a result of deterioration and minor safety issues, there was a unanimous decision among UA officials to begin a restoration project. The theater has undergone several renovations and updates in history, but no major renovation has taken place since 1995, Geta Galbraith, the construction coordinator, said about the importance of the impending project. Galbraith said the 2014 restoration was prioritized into two main groups. The first priority encompasses items to prevent further deterioration of the structure and life safety issues, and the second group involves items to improve the appearance and lighting, landscaping and accessibility, Galbraith said. The first phase included limestone restoration and cleaning, stucco restoration at the stage level and towers, concrete repairs, as well as the replacement of a deteriorated limestone plaque across the stage, to honor one of the five organization members. These additions were meant to insure a student-safe environment around the theater, and to eliminate the risk of accidents that may have resulted from the deteriorated building materials. The second phase started with repairing the 2,750-person capacity seating bowl. The steps were repaired and the entire bowl was cleaned as well. Additionally, there were several lighting and electrical improvements to help visibility in the evenings spent celebrating the glory of one of the University of Arkansas ' s oldest establishments. Finally, students could access the top bowl of the Greek Theater from Dickson Street, as a new pathway was created. Although these were much-needed improvements, the restoration eliminated the possibility of using the Greek Theater for any sorority fraternity, organization or general University of Arkansas events for much of the Fall of 2014. Galbraith said the substantial completion was set for November or December, depending on the weather. However, for a monument with this incredible history, perhaps it is worth it. Built in 1927, dedicated in 1930 as a gift from the Chi Omega Sorority to the university and designed by James P. Jamieson and George W. Spearl, architects from St. Louis, Mo., the structure is modeled after the Theater of Dionysius, located at the base of the Acropolis in Athens, Greece, Galbraith said. With its history and many amazing improvements, the Chi Omega Greek Theater is truly an emblem of the University of Arkansas. Greek Theater Construction 31

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HAVEN 33