"I learned to lay there and take it," one shirt reads. The shirt describes a student's encounter with a former fraternity president vaguely identified on the shirt. The man relentlessly pressured the student to have sex, the shirt alleges.
"I am still unlearning," the message continues.
Collectively, the hanging shirts are known as the Clothesline Project, an initiative of Dartmouth's Sexual Assault Awareness Program. The project, intended to share community members' experiences with sexual assault, invites direct victims and those who have been affected by another's assault to convey personal statements on T-shirts that will be added to the growing display.
Students had "really powerful" responses to the project when it was first displayed last Thursday, according to Rebel Roberts, interim director of the Sexual Assault Awareness Program.
"I saw a whole spectrum of reactions, from surprise to people in tears to people saying how important it is and that they appreciated that we took the time to do that," Roberts said. "Hopefully [the Project] allows survivors to know that they're not alone and that there are people out there that care and that can help them if they need help."
Terra Branson '10 said she was struck by the shirts, which dismantled her impression that she can feel as safe in Hanover as she did in her hometown of Tulsa, Okla.
"Dartmouth presents this calming feeling that, like, oh, we're kind of protected," Branson said. "I don't know what the individual [statistics] are for the Dartmouth rape scene, but the facts about rape are kind of overwhelming."
According to Roberts, approximately one in three women will be sexually assaulted between the ages of 18 and 22.
Despite some students' strong response to the shirts, others interviewed by The Dartmouth were less responsive to the project, and some failed to notice the display at all.
"I couldn't really tell you even what you're talking about right now," Ty Moddelmog '08 said, when asked in Collis how he had felt about the T-shirts.
The "hard and fast facts" presented on some of the shirts attracted Branson to the display, she said. She appreciates learning about what other students have been forced to experience, she added.
"It's just a reminder of where everyone else is," Branson said. "Not everyone is protected. It's nice to hear what has happened and what to be aware of as a member of the community."
The Clothesline Project began in March, 1990 as part of an annual Take Back the Night march in a village town on Cape Cod, Mass. At the beginning of the march, shirts with slogans related to sexual assault were displayed on the village green. Throughout the day, the pile increased as survivors of assault continued to come forward with new shirts. Throughout April, Clothesline Project shirts are displayed across the country to commemorate Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Roberts said.
The project was instated at Dartmouth in the 1990s, according to Roberts, and the annual display includes shirts created since the project's inception. The display is scheduled remain in Collis through April 16.
