Featured Columnist Rochelle Megan Reynard advocates joining clubs on campus......................Page 2 Vol. XL, No. 2 Penn State University, Delaware County October 23, 2006 HDFS benefit raises awareness to victims of Domestic Abuse By CHRISTINA FELIZZI A writer clf5050@psu.edu "I have no bruises on my skin because all my bruises are with- in." This was the first line of the poem "My Monster" read at the HDEFS club's (Human Development and Family Studies) Take Back the Night, which was held on Wednesday October 11, 2006 from 5:30- 8:30pm in the Classroom Building lounge. That poem, along with others, was written anonymously by a survivor of domestic violence to empower and break the silence surrounding domestic violence, which was the purpose of the event. : Therese White, a survivor of domestic violence, was featured speaker and retold her tragically moving experience. "I thought he loved me, he acted like a gentleman, he acted sweet. ..but then the verbal abuse started and I would cry myself to sleep," she said, through strained tears. Therese and her husband were not married at the time when she first experienced verbal abuse, but she was three months pregnant. Then the physical abuse started and one afternoon he slapped her so hard Therese went into shock - he said he would never do it again - how false those words were. The abuse escalated into punch- es, kicks in the back, and choking, and through it all Therese kept thinking, "It's my fault." He would tell her, "If you tell anyone you're really gonna get it." She knew then she had to leave, escape this abuse, and she did - temporarily. Thinking it over and having nowhere else to turn, Therese went back to her boyfriend and they decided to marry after six years, yet things only got worse. She lost her job. became pregnant a month after the marriage, and the verbal and physical abuse continued. When she was having a conference with her son's teacher about his behavior one day, the teacher questioned, "How are things at home?" Therese could not contain herself and she broke into tears, walking out of the conference. Then, the fateful night came when Therese finally found the strength to leave this life and start a new one. As she was packing her bags, her husband realized what she was doing and went ballistic. She ran in the other room, hiding in the corner, as he chased her with a knife in his hand. "I didn't have any more fight in me," Therese said, but she still had her voice. By screaming loud enough to frighten away her husband, Therese took her chance to flee to safety at the D ' 2 (Domestic Abuse Project) safe house in Media, Penn: 1vania. Now, Therese is a medical assisi.nt, graduating at the top of her class in 2006 and is a mother of three children. "I am indebted to DAP," she said, "and it's never too late for anyone to get help." DAP of Delaware County seeks to prevent domestic violence and is committed to providing services that meet the needs of the victims, primarily dealing with adult victims. "We want to create more peaceful lives for everyone," said Nicole, DAP rep, "People think, 'if I was in an abu- sive situation, I would leave if they hit me', but until you've walked in the shoes of a victim, you'll never know." DAP is not just in Delaware County - it's an inter- national organization providing counseling, housing, and legal services, medical and welfare advocacy, prevention education, community outreach, volunteer programs, counseling services, and a 911 Cell Phone Program, which was what the Cell Phone Drive sponsored by Verizon was trying to support by fixing then selling the donated phones to give free minutes to domestic violence victims. The DAP agency provided attendants of this event with tons of information. Startling statistics such as: every fifteen seconds a woman is battered, one in four women will experience domestic violence during her lifetime, and in the year 2000, 1,247 women and 440 men were killed by an intimate partner. These were only a few of the many facts presented. Signs of domestic vio- lence, dating and relation- ship Bill of Rights, cycles of violence, and safety suggestions were all avail- able during the night. If you or someone you know is being abused, contact the DAP at 610-565-4590 or for more information go to www.dapdc.org. The Clothesline Project was another edition to this beneficial affair. Shirts that hung on The Clothesline represent a wide range of different types of abuse. They were all made by domestic abuse victims or made by loved ones of domestic abuse victims and the shirts expressed their emotions and experiences with words, colors, drawings, and poems. One DAP representative said, "these shirts travel dif- ferent places and are displayed...carrying the word to stop and prevent domestic violence." The shirts were color coded, representing the different dimensions of vio- lence against women and children; white for victims who have died as a result of domestic violence, yellow or beige for women who have been battered, red, pink or orange for women who have been raped or sexually assaulted, blue or green for survivors of incest or child sexual assault, and purple or lavender for women attacked because of their sexual orientation/identification. Also held during the night was a silent auction selling gift baskets and such to raise money for the DAP Media center. Nicole Duval and Heather Cuthbert, co-presidents of the HDFS club, accomplished a night to remember. "Our purpose is to promote community service throughout the campus by doing different activities like this one and charities such the Ronald McDonald House," explained Heather. Along with the help of Dava Murray, coordinator of student involvement, the two co-presidents raised money for a good cause while opening our eyes to domestic vio- lence and its victims. ¥ Brittany Neimeth tells us about Hookah bars pg. 2- Entertainment Columnists........ccccceerrnennirrisnnnnnnn.. Page 2 Delco Community Update.................Page 8 Sestak visits Delco........... weensenPage 3 | Penn State Day..........occcvciciinninnnne.. Page 8 INSIDE Fireside Music Series.......c.cccocninnn Page 5 | SPOrts.....cccvcererrcrnnssnsssnnssinnnennns Page 10 SGA Update...........ceccnnsunrisnnennnnenn. Page 9 | History of Halloween....................... Page 11 International Studies Trips...............Page 7 Fall Photo Collage....... sissssnssssesenses PASO 12 TEE
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