Anna Nelson

Students were invited to light a candle Tuesday evening for themselves or for someone they know who was a victim of violence.

The candlelight vigil, sponsored by Violence Against Women, was directed by Towers South hall director, Christina Hubert.

The event took place in the Hilltop Lounge of the Hilltop Center on upper campus, where students were welcome to light a candle, watch a video about women and violence, read various brochures or make a donation.

Business cards with various abuse shelters, purple ribbons signifying courage and quizzes to help clarify if someone is a victim of violence were just a few of the things available for participants.

“We didn’t want to force anyone to talk about anything they’re not comfortable with,” Hubert said. “We wanted them to come and recognize themselves, a friend, a sister.”

Freshman Kara Collier, a member of VAW, found special meaning to lighting a candle at the vigil.

“Lighting a candle, for me, represents the greater idea of recognition and support for those who have been affected by rape, or just domestic violence in general,” she said.

“It’s for a special cause and we want victims to know that we are here for them even when they don’t realize it,” Collier said.

Preceding the event, the club, consisting of about 10 members, met every other week on Tuesdays, in the Oakridge Social Room.

The candle-lighting event was the club’s first event of it’s first year as an organization on campus.

“The main reason I joined the club was because I’ve talked to people and I’ve seen what’s out there,” sophomore Lindsay Carlson said. “I know that more people, both men and women, are affected by abuse than reported. I just want them to know that they’re not alone.”

The club is working on changing the name of the club to include men also.

Hubert said the club wants more male involvement for two reasons: the majority of the time domestic violence involves a man and because men are also victims of violence.

“We are recognizing that violence is a broader issue in this area, and we will recommend that the name of the club be changed,” Hubert said.

The video shown at the event, called “Breaking the Silence,” aired on PBS last week.

The video was funded by Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation, which supports UW-Madison with significant grants for breast cancer research.