Take Back the Night

by Lorna HUTCHISON, PEI Rape and Sexual Assault Crisis Centre

It is rare for women and chil- dren to feel truly safe. Many of us feel fear or vulnerability and for good rea- son. It simply isn’t safe. We are regu- larly assaulted on the streets, in bars and in our homes. Each time this hap- pens to one of us, the fear for all of us rises. Perhaps our fear dissipates when we are with a companion or in an environment we are confident in, but often fear lurks under the surface. It is something we all live with.

We have reason to fear strangers on the streets — they commit 15% of sexual assaults. We have rea- son to fear the drink given to us by someone we may know - incidents of the use of date rape drugs are increas- ingly being reported in PEI. We have reason to fear being home. According to Statistics Canada, 80% of women and children victims know their assailants, many of whom are close relatives. We don’t have to look far to recognize this truth. In the past year and a half, we have heard a lot about three extreme situations when Island women were brutally murdered by their partners, not strangers.

Despite strides towards equality, the freedom for women and ehildren to live without fear of assault, rape or murder have not yet been achieved. For this reason, we encourage you to help effect change as women and children march to Take Back the Night.

The first Take Back the Night

event was held in England in 1877 as a woman-only protest against the vio- lence and fear women encounter. In 1973, Germany held its first march in response to a series of sexual assaults, rapes and murders. Soon after, march- es were being held annually here in PEI as well as throughout Canada, the United States, Latin America, India and Europe.

On Monday, September 24th, the PEI Rape/ Sexual Assault Crisis Centre invites you to support Take Back the Night. Women and children will walk along the streets of Charlottetown rain or shine. Together we can feel safe with the need for protection. A pre-march gathering will be held at the Basilica Recreation Centre at 7:15pm. The march will begin at 7:30pm. Please bring a flash- light and wear bright clothing so cars can see you.

This is a women-only march, so men across the Island can support women who want to walk free of fear in numerous ways. Encourage your mothers, sisters, daughters and part- ners to join us. Offer childcare and transportation to ensure women you know can participate. Acknowledge us as we walk down the streets. Make financial contributions to organiza- tions that are working hard to address violence against women and children.

Together we can create healthy change.

UPCOMING PANTHER GAMES

Field Hockey

vs. UNB Saturday, September 29 4:00 PM Men’s Soccer at SFX Saturday, September 22 3:00 PM at Dal. Sunday, September 23 3:00 PM Women’s Soccer

at SFX Saturday, September 22 1:00 PM at Dal Sunday September 23 1:00 PM

Inner Peace Through Bridge

by Ray MALONE Student Services

What do people who want to flex their minds do while others flex their muscles? Well, some read, some go to the library, and some attend a class or lecture.

Now, what do all these people who might want to flex their minds do if they want to do it in a social, interactive way? Well they might attend self-improvement workshop, or presentations, or they might play bridge.

What is bridge you ask? The Bridge I am talking about is a card game with a long tradition among many walks of life. It has no age bar- rier, and is something you can play anywhere and any time. It provides an opportunity for like-minded peo- ple to come together to engage in intellectually stimulating conversa- tion in order to make a card contract. People have even had fun while play- ing bridge.

Bridge has been taught and learned in many campuses over the years, but always in very informal settings. It was never intended to compete with class attendance, or get- ting assignments in on time. It was never meant to cause people to fail to show up for important engagements; however, Bridge has been known to have been the cause of some of the above to happen.

It is intended to draw a com- munity together, to build campus spirit, to bridge gaps between faculty, staff and students. It is meant to enlarge a social circle, to make new friends, or form a larger number of acquaintances. It might be the thing you remember most about your uni- versity years, or the activity that pre- vented you from going crazy while the world was losing its mind all around you.

I have been part of a bridge club now for the past five years. It is something I look forward to doing every two weeks — more often in between if I get the chance. My atti- tude about Bridge before I was

enticed to learn about it was that it was far too serious, too sombre, with not enough noise or spontaneity. But I soon learned that it depends entirely on whom you play with.

If you would like to learn to play this game, or if you already know how and would like an organ- ized opportunity to play with some of your fellow campus community, our first get together is:

Date: October 5th, 12th, 19th, 26th. Time: 1:30-3:30 PM Location: The Pit - Robertson Library

Instructors: Marion Morrison, Mamdouh Elgharib, Ray Malone.

Group: Student Services Wellness Committee.

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