2008 Woodie Awards
Kappa helps women "Take Back the Night"
Amy Farnsworth
Issue date: 4/6/06 Section: News
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Sorority members handed out purple ribbons and wore purple T-shirts displaying the female symbol to promote the message behind the week-long event.
Kappa Gamma Chi raised more than $200 by selling cookie-grams, messages attached to snacks, during the week. The proceeds will benefit Casa Myrna Vazquez, a women's shelter in Boston that helps women and their families escape domestic violence and abuse.
Kappa Gamma Chi members Dunja Simunovic, a junior writing, literature and publishing (WLP) and marketing double major, and Tori Steere, a sophomore communication studies major, organized Take Back the Night events. Steere said that the message of Take Back the Night is important to spread.
"[Domestic abuse victims] feel like they don't have a voice," Steere said. "It's something that we need to bring out. Especially for younger people, so they grow up knowing that it's something that happens and that they can help."
According to Kappa Gamma Chi president Becca Blacker, a senior WLP major, attendance at this year's program almost doubled since last year. The most popular events, the Performance Festival and Mocktails, drew more than 50 people each.
Simunovic said she wanted to draw attention to the issues, so she changed the focus because of low attendance at the last Take Back the Night. This year, events raised domestic violence awareness but also touched upon many women's issues, such as women's empowerment and sexuality.
"There are a lot of emotional issues behind abuse," Steere said. "We wanted to focus on educating yourself and being comfortable with who you are as a person."
Last Sunday's performance festival kicked off the week-long event with various forms of artistic expression, including monologues and mimes. Mia Van De Water, a junior theatre major, stepped on stage naked and performed an original piece that focused on Genesis and Adam and Eve.
Steere said Van De Water did not tell Kappa Gamma Chi members that she would appear naked on stage, and when she finally performed, Steere was surprised.
"It was a different way to express being a woman and being empowered," Steere said. "It was physically showing people [that she was] comfortable in her own skin. It's something we don't see every day, but it was something that made an impact on everyone."
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