Coastal Carolina University, in partnership with the LiveWell Office and the Women’s and Gender Studies program, is hosting its annual Relationship Violence Awareness Week Oct. 4-7. Three outdoor events will be held to raise student awareness about sexual, dating, and domestic violence and to educate students about resources available to them at CCU.

The week’s goals include helping to break the stigma of discussing the sensitive topic of interpersonal violence, as well as showing support and building community empathy toward survivors of interpersonal violence.

The events include:

• Take Back the Night March and Rally Against Violence on Tuesday, Oct. 4, at 6 p.m. in the Lib Jackson Student Union courtyard. The purpose of this event is to increase awareness of the impact of violence against survivors, celebrate their strength, and provide another avenue for them to courageously break the silence of their experiences. The event also allows students to share personal stories and messages against interpersonal violence and creates a space of support for survivors.

• The Clothesline Project on Wednesday, Oct. 5, from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Prince Lawn. This is a national initiative that started in the 1990s, with people putting messages on T-shirts to create awareness about the various types of violence against women, men, and children, and displaying the shirts on a clothesline. Members of the campus community will have the opportunity decorate fabric or paper cutouts of T-shirts with messages supporting survivors of interpersonal violence. The color of each shirt represents a different type of violence. The shirts will be displayed in the Lib Jackson Student Union rotunda and other places on campus.

• Light Up the Night 5K Run on Friday, Oct. 7. The race will start at 7:30 p.m. on CCU’s University Boulevard near the Chanticleer Drive West traffic signal, with participants running through the Horry-Georgetown Technical College campus. CCU has partnered with its Department of Public Safety, HGTC, and various local sponsors. All proceeds will go toward the CCU and HGTC Victim Assistance Fund.

The LiveWell Office promotes societal, community, relationship, and individual wellness and provides resources to the campus community all year long.

For more information, contact Bevelyn Mitchell, assistant director for interpersonal violence prevention and services, at bmitchell@coastal.edu.