Elaina Eakle
ehe001@marietta.edu
Marietta College students Alex Potesta, a junior, and senior Lacey Caparanis are putting together a journal of stories, poems, art, and other creative work addressing the topic of sexual assault and domestic abuse. The journal, tentatively titled “Lifting the Stigma,” will be composed of personal stories of victims and other forms of expression. The deadline for submissions has been extended to Friday, Nov. 7.
Stories are being accepted from anyone who chooses to submit, including students and community members.
“We are getting some stories from… people who used to live at the EVE Shelter or live currently at the EVE Shelter who have experienced these things firsthand,” Caparanis said.
Potesta and Caparanis developed their ideas separately and began their joint effort after Dr. Nicole Livengood, associate professor of English at Marietta College, learned of their similar ideas and suggested they work together.
“They are the visionaries, and I am impressed by the way they’ve worked to make this idea a reality,” Livengood said. “I am really proud of Alex and Lacey for their vision and for the way that they want to create an open dialogue on topics – sexual assault, domestic abuse, and the language that too often blames the victims rather than holding violators responsible – that need to be addressed head-on.”
Caparanis developed her idea for the journal from her family discord psychology class, and Potesta was inspired to create the journal from her own experiences with victims of sexual assault.
“I’ve just known a lot of people that have gone through this and I think that it’s a lot like other stigmas on campus,” Potesta said. “I think that it’s something that people just don’t talk about and that it really needs to be talked about. I think a lot of people don’t realize that they have legitimate concerns and feelings.”
Potesta believes that publication of these stories can allow the community to better understand sexual assault and domestic abuse and change the language of victim blaming that discourages victims from speaking up.
“This is a big issue, and because people don’t talk about it, no one knows,” she said. “I’ve heard a of a few people asking questions in trivia about what causes rape, and the answers will be like drugs, alcohol, anything like that – party related… the [real] answer is rapists, every time. And it’s the same thing with abusers.”
Livengood agrees that the silence of victims needs to be broken, and feels that Potesta and Caparanis’ journal is a good place to begin.
“In my opinion, one reason that sexual assault and abuse are stigmatized is because of the silence surrounding these issues, and there is silence because they are stigmatized,” she said. “It’s a circle that needs to be broken to empower and educate, and their work with this journal is an excellent step.”
Caparanis feels that the journal will be beneficial for victims of sexual assault and domestic abuse as well.
“I think it’s very cathartic for people to get their story out there,” she said. “Even if it’s anonymous, they can know that people are reading what they have to say and people are thinking that it’s important, and that might inspire somebody to make some sort of difference, or to stand up and say, ‘this happened to me too,’ and we need to change not just the culture on campus but rape culture in general and sexual and domestic violence in general.”
In addition, Potesta and Caparanis hope the journal will encourage colleges and universities to provide programming and accountability to discourage assaults and to empower victims.
All pieces should be 1,000 words or less and be submitted by Nov. 7 to be published in the journal. Submissions can be mailed to Marietta College, 215 Fifth St., Marietta, OH 45750, Box 816 or Box 1299. Individuals wishing to be published anonymously should not include a name on the submission.
