Caitlin White
Staff Writer
“What will you do when fear of sexual violence ends?” Senior Julie Dlugokecki single-handedly masterminded the Eve Project, the driving force behind this question that has consumed Pepperdine’s campus.
The Project involves Pepperdine’s students and faculty coming forward to share how their life will be different when the fear of sexual violence ends. Along with these statements will be photographs of each speaker, which will then be collected into a mural.
“I was initially inspired by the V-Day campaign of Eve Ensler,” Dlugokecki says, “I saw a campaign that dealt with photography in similar terms. But we changed it to deal more specifically with the issue of sexual violence while looking at the bigger picture and involving members from the community.”
The idea for the project actually came to Dlugokecki in 2005, and though she inspired the crusade, she received support from faculty, students and community members.
“[Student] James Toney and his organization Actvsts have helped so much in terms of getting art involved with the project,” she says.
Actvsts is an organization on campus that is devoted to advocating human rights through creative expression. (To learn more about the Actvsts, students can go to www.theactvst.com).
When asked what sparked her interest in this issue, Dlugokecki said, “I’ve been interested in this issue for awhile, it is one that has a lot of social stigma associated with it, as far as reporting sexual violence. The statistics are staggering, but it is rare that victims or survivors come forth to tell their experience. They feel like they are to blame.”
Dlugokecki said The Eve Project is an attempt to create a dialogue, so that survivors won’t have to deal with it on their own. But that by no means is an indication that only those who have directly suffered from sexual violence should participate, she added. All are welcome to participate and the project is open to the entire Pepperdine community.
“Men do face sexual violence too, and if they don’t fear for themselves, they can contribute by discussing how it affects the women in their lives,” she said. For instance, a male participant answered the question by saying, “When fear of sexual violence ends, I will not be afraid when my sister goes out at night.”
Senior Rose Drew expressed her excitement over the Eve Project.
“I think it’s high time sexual violence is dealt with,” she said. When fear of sexual violence ends, Drew says she will “rejoice.”
Junior Liz Austin involved herself in the project because “it was so innovative,” she said. “I’d never seen or heard anything like it before, and it seems like a great program and an interesting idea.”
When fear of sexual violence ends Austin said she will “be able to go running at night without my dad worrying about me.”
Nathan Ethell, also a junior, is impressed by the idea of the project.
“It’s a great initiative,” he said. “Certain issues don’t receive enough attention, and sexual violence is one of them.” When fear ends for Ethell, he said, “As a brother, I will rest soundly that my sister can walk safely to her car at night.”
Each of these three say they will have their picture and quote included in the final project that will be displayed.When the mural is finished, it will include responses from staff and students, men and women alike.
After the responses are collected, The Eve Project will take a few weeks to put the mural together. The finished piece will be on display in The Sandbar through Feb. 23, and representatives from the Santa Monica Rape Treatment Center will be on campus as a resource for students.
Although the Eve Project is currently only featured at Pepperdine, Dlugokecki has high hopes for the future.
“It would be great to see The Eve Project in the years to come as a project that continues on campus,” she said. “I’d just like to re-iterate that I’m not the sole force behind this project, it wouldn’t have come together without the support of many people. I’m a senior this year, but I’d love to see Eve expand and carry on in a larger scale.”
Join Pepperdine by naming the fear and breaking the cycle of silence. The next opportunity to contribute will be Monday, Jan. 22 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
01-18-2007
