The Global Awareness Action Club staged a die-in, a type of protest, against violence on Thursday, May 7. Their goal was to raise awareness of the prevalence of violence.
Twelve students and faculty dressed in black laid on their backs in the sunny central courtyard in front of Building 7. Two students took off their shoes. All had signs announcing statistics of homicide, abuse, suicide or violence.
A flyer describing the club said, “We want you to take time to STOP, THINK, and REFLECT about how you can play a role in reducing violence in the world.”
The club also staged a die-in last year, according to the club’s co-advisor Katherine Rowell. She counted more than 100 students who responded to the protest by reading signs, receiving flyers and even joining the die-in.
Campus minister Barbara Battin participated in the protest. She said she has counseled both students and faculty after the violent loss of people who have been associated with Sinclair. Battin takes anti-violence efforts seriously, she said.
Students Taylor Smith, Jacob Bauer and Caitlin Heling also participated in the die-in. Observers didn’t always understand what the protest was against when they first saw it, according to Heling.
“Some people at first think we’re protesting smoking. Sometimes they laugh at us,” Heling said.
Bauer hoped that observers would become aware that violence could be on a large scale, like a war, or a small scale, like domestic abuse. Smith hoped to spread awareness about non-violence.
The club plans to stage a protest against homelessness in the fall, according to Rowell.
To learn more about the organization, contact Katherine Rowell at 512-2517 or Mohsen Khani at 512-5183.