MTSU will stage three major events in April to highlight one of society’s most pervasive and horrific problems.

• Sexual Assault Awareness Month activities will begin with the “Clothesline Project” Monday, April 4, through Friday, April 8 in the Student Union atrium. T-shirts adorned with messages of outrage, survival and hope by MTSU students, faculty and staff will be displayed.

Maigan Wipfli

“‘Clothesline’ did not happen in 2020 due to COVID, but we did it in 2021,” said Maigan Wipfli, director of the June Anderson Center for Women and Nontraditional Students. “We paired it with our very first ‘Color the Commons.’ This year we are doing the events separately.”

• “Color the Commons” will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, April 20, beginning on the Student Union Commons. Members of the MTSU community are invited to use colored chalk to decorate a sidewalk square with encouraging notes.

A sidewalk square decorated for the 2021 “Color the Commons” event tells people what to do if they witness an act of sexual assault. The 2022 “Color the Commons” is scheduled for Wednesday, April 20. (Photo submitted)

• Another annual event, “Walk a Mile in Their Shoes,” is slated for 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 12, starting on the front lawn of the Campus Recreation Center. Traditionally, men have attempted to walk and/or run in high-heeled shoes so they can understand how difficult it is for women to escape sexual assault. Free T-shirts, ribbons and food will be distributed while supplies last.

Wipfli said “Walk a Mile” was a virtual event in 2020 due to the pandemic with groups and individuals asked to walk their miles and post photos on Facebook and Instagram. In 2021, “Walk a Mile” was a socially distanced event, which generated the largest number of participants to date.

Three students show their support for the 2021 “Walk a Mile in Their Shoes,” a Sexual Assault Awareness Month event at MTSU. The 2022 event is slated for Tuesday, April 12. (Photo submitted)

In addition to the June Anderson Center, “Walk a Mile” sponsors include the Power of One office, the Interfraternity Council, Fraternity and Sorority Life, MT SPARE and Campus Recreation. The June Anderson Center and Power of One co-sponsor the “Clothesline Project” and “Color the Commons.”

• Other activities include “Teal Tuesday,” in which participants are encouraged to wear teal ribbons and/or clothing Tuesday, April 5, to show their support for sexual assault awareness, and “Denim Day,” when people are asked to wear denim clothing on Wednesday, April 27, in support of sexual assault survivors.

For more information, contact Wipfli at 615-898-2193 or maigan.wipfli@mtsu.edu. To learn more about what you can do if you are sexually assaulted on campus, go to https://www.mtsu.edu/sexual-violence/.

— Gina K. Logue (gina.logue@mtsu.edu)

T-shirts decorated with Sexual Assault Awareness Month messages adorn the interior of the Student Union as part of the 2021 Clothesline Project at MTSU. This year’s event is scheduled for April 4-8. (Photo submitted)

Participants in the 2021 Clothesline Project display T-shirts bearing Sexual Assault Awareness Month messages in the Student Union atrium. Other T-shirts hang from the rafters overhead. The 2022 Clothesline Project is scheduled for April 4-8. (Photo submitted)