This story contains mentions of sexual assault. 

Students gathered in the Quad to decorate T-shirts with messages for sexual assault survivors on Wednesday.

The Health and Wellness center hosts the Clothesline Project every semester. This event aims to show how prevalent sexual assault is in communities, and that anyone who has suffered from it, is not alone. 

“I feel like things like this need to be, like spread and talk[ed] about more,” Anastasia Battle, a first-year psychology student, said. 

The Health and Wellness center supplied students with paint-markers, fabric paint, brushes and beads to decorate their T-shirts in any way they choose. Free items like water bottles were available at the event. 

The Clothesline Project was founded in 1990, by Carol Chichetto and other members of women’s groups in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, to let survivors tell their stories in their own unique way. 

Battle said she was intrigued by the clothesline of colorful shirts. 

“I feel like painting shirts and stuff like that and making encouraging messages [for survivors] is really cool,” Battle said. 

Katie Keys, the college’s project director for sexual violence prevention said “what happens is survivors can make T-shirts either with their own personal experiences, or sharing the experience of a loved one or quotes [and] calls to action. Even things as simple as saying, like, ‘I believe you.’ The purpose is to kind of like, bring together our community.”

Camryn Corely, first-year biology student, said the event was very calming. 

“I like looking at all the shirts,” Corely said.  “I see how much people actually do care about, you know, this topic. It’s just, it’s good to know that people care.”

“It’s a really beautiful moment for all of us to just be there for each other,” Keys said.