Over the 2014-2015 school year, USC has seen the consequences of relationship and domestic violence firsthand. Last November, students Diamoney Greene and Brandon Early were found dead in a Copper Beech apartment, the product of an apparent murder-suicide. And more recently, Professor Raja Fayad was shot to death by his ex-wife, Sunghee Kwon, in the Public Health building on Assembly Street.
USC's Office of Sexual Assault and Violence Prevention (SAVIP) sees these tragedies as completely avoidable, which is why they're spearheading a calendar of events for April, the National Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
“Sexual assault, relationship violence and other kinds of interpersonal violence aren’t really talked about as much as other crimes and we think they need to be,” said Kristin Tanner, graduate student in social work and SAVIP intern.
SAVIP’s main goal is to raise awareness through education while also keeping the subject matter interesting rather than unpleasant, according to SAVIP graduate assistant Janece Gough.
The organization has planned a wide variety of events to educate the public, kicking things off on Wednesday with live T-shirt painting for the Clothesline Project.
On April 13, the Clothesline Project will display the T-shirts that students have been crafting during live painting events on Greene Street throughout March and April. The T-shirts will be painted with various colors which represent different types of violence.
Gatekeeper Suicide Prevention training is on April 15, and while these subjects may be the ones people find themselves the most uncomfortable about, they can often be the most important to learn about.
Throughout the rest of April, additional events include National Denim Day, Hip Hop Wednesday: Sexual Assault and a meeting of Gentlemen Respecting Interacting in Truth (GRIT).
For more information about SAVIP’s activities planned for Sexual Assault Awareness Month, visit http://www.sa.sc.edu/shs/events or call 803-777-3175.