Pace Paw Print

Media Credit: Samantha Egan The actors and volunteers involved in the Tunnel of Oppression, after the last showing.

Students waited in darkness while a pre-recorded message played. "We understand that hate is a learned behavior," it said, and with that, the music started and the students moved toward the screams from behind the entrance.

The Tunnel of Oppression took place for the second time in two years on Nov. 13-15, in the Gottesman Room. Sponsored by SDCA, the Center of Peace and Social Justice, BSU and RSA, the event was meant to raise awareness of different types of oppression, such as domestic violence, homelessness, rape, inter-racial dating and bulimia.

"We take on what we believe to be the most pertinent issues of the time," said Gabriel Tanglao, a Graduate Assistant for the event, also adding that the event was meant to "put a magnifying class to different types of oppression."

The Tunnel portrayed these issues by having some of the students who were involved in putting on the event act them out. Students were led through the dimly lit tunnel by tour guides who ushered them through. They passed scenes which depicted the issues, including a girl with red wrists, a homeless man and what was designed to look like rape under a sheet. The walk through took less than a minute, then the music and screaming from the actors stopped.

"It's meant to be overwhelming," Tanglao said. "These things happen daily so they're easy for us to ignore."

Students were then lead to a post-counseling session led by members of Pace's counseling center. The sessions lasted between ten to 15 minutes, during which students were asked to fill out a survey, which asked for their thoughts about the event, and given the opportunity to talk about what they saw and if it triggered any events they might have encountered or heard about.

At the end of the session, students were given pamphlets, titled "Dealing with Crises and Traumatic Events," which informed students about the different types of crises, the symptoms/reaction of those who go through them and what they could do to help themselves or others who have gone witnessed a crisis or traumativ event. The pamphlet is also available at the Counseling Center.

Samantha Sullivan, a freshman education major, attended the Tunnel of Oppression for the first time on Nov. 15. Sullivan said she felt the most graphic scenes in the Tunnel were those that depicted the rape and suicide.

"They're so common among people our age," she said.

She also said she felt that she was ushered through the Tunnel too quickly.

" I didn't emotionally react to it because I went though it so fast, "she said.

Tangloa said that the sponsors of the Tunnel plan to follow up the event with information about the types of issue displayed in the tunnel and what can be done to help.

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