Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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This Day In USC History November 17, 1980 — The Gamecocks accepted an invitation to the 1980 Gator Bowl. (gamecock v I Wednesday,November 17,1999 Sistercare offers refuge for women by John Huiett Assistant News Editor The children hid in their bedroom. The 32-year-old housewife and mother ran for cover, hiding behind chairs and doors. But he found her. He held her down and punched her in the face, and he did it again and again. Her husband of six years pummeled her soft white face into an almost unrecognizable mass of purple bruises. She could have just taken it, endured the pain and blamed her self like she had so many times before. But this time she broke free. She locked herself in the bedroom long enough to call the police. They responded quickly, taking the husband into custody and offering her and her children the chance for a new life. This is just one example of domestic abuse Sistercare counselor “Mary” can vividly recall. It’s her job to reach out to battered women from the organization’s Richland County shelter, helping them re alize the danger of being in an abusive relationship and giving them the confidence to break away from their abusers. And Mary’s a victim herself. She was hired as a counselor this past July after breaking free from an abusive relationship. But she’s still hiding from her abuser. Sistercare is the only organization in the Midlands that provides help exclusively to victims of domestic violence, a problem that has increased dramatically in the past several years. According to statistics from the South Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, four million women are phys ically abused in the United States every year. In 1996, nearly 55,000 domestic violence reports were filed, an almost 35 percent increase since 1992. Sistercare received more than 4,000 crisis calls in 1998 and took in nearly 1,000 battered women and their children. And in the first nine months of 1999, the shelters had already re ceived almost 4,000 crisis calls. Mary said that while men are often the abusers, consistent per sonality traits of the abused add to the problem. Because the majority of battered women rarely work outside the home, she said victims become reliant on their abusers as the household’s sole source of income, while others have addictive at tachments to their abusers. As a result, the abused frequently feel powerless to stop what she called the “cycle of abuse,” or repeated physical attacks followed by a “honeymoon” period when the abuser is forgiven and free to at tack again. “A lot of the women, their self-esteem is low, and they become very [financially and emotionally] dependent on their abusers,” Mary said. “It could be they stay in the situation for the children’s sake, or they use that as an excuse.” Mary added that the only way to break the cycle of abuse is for victims to become self-sufficient. She said while Sistercare can’t provide miracles, victims can free themselves from an abusive situation through counseling. “I don’t expect to really solve any issues, just plant seeds,” Mary said. “To educate women ... is really the goal, to educate them about abuse, to empower them.” But according to Linda Davis, Sistercare’s assistant to the exec utive director, it’s sometimes difficult for victims to remove them selves from abusers because of constant mental trauma. “You’re always tense,” Davis said. “If you set dinner on the table, you don’t know if [the abuser] is going to throw it on the floor and go on a tirade.” Davis added that 85 percent of domestic violence victims have been threatened with weapons, and it’s not uncommon for Sistercare to provide shelter for a woman who has been stabbed or shot. Because an abuser’s reaction to a victim’s cry for help could be more violent than the initial abuse, Davis said many are reluctant to find a way out. “Typically, we might have a number of conversations with them before they decide to seek shelter,” Davis said. However, once a victim makes that decision, Davis said Sister Sistercare see page 9 1 11/ Brett Butler to speak about beating me odds by Charlie Wall'ace Senior Writer Cancer. The mere mention of the word is strong enough to scare anyone. It is a word synonymous with sadness, hope lessness and failure. It is a word that could bring the strongest per son to his knees without a hint of mercy. In a world filled with illness and disease, can cer is a demon that comes in many forms. It can effect almost every part of a person’s body and often times can’t be cured. But, for former major league baseball player Brett Butler, cancer couldn’t defeat one part of his body — his soul. Butler, now since retired, will speak at a Fel lowship of Christian Athletes meeting tomorrow at 8:30 p.m. in the Sol Blatt P.E. Center in Gym 307. Since he was ip first grade, the California na tive dreamed of being a major league baseball play VI. It’s the only thing he wanted to do. While many kids have that same dream, most of them have some semblance of reality and can deci pher fact from fiction. Butler, however, knew in his soul that his dream was going to be come a reality. His determination mnnlrl oom; Viim thoro “Ever since I was six years old I wanted to be a major league baseball player,” Butler said with out hesitation. “I even remember standing up saying it in my first grade class.” Butler even wrote an autobiography that he called “I Whnt to Be a Major League Baseball Play er.” However, Butler was not a star baseball play er growing up. In fact, he made only 32 appearances at the plate his senior year in high school, his first as a starter. But he had a dream he wouldn’t let his soul relinquish. Butler’s dream carried him to Arizona State University as a walk-on freshman. His determina tion paid off, as he was one of eight out of209 walk ons to make the team. However, unhappy with the program, he trans ferred to tiny Southeastern Oklahoma State. In his three years at the school, from 1977 __ 1979, Butler amassed 31 home runs, a school record at the time. For a guy who is 5 feet-11 -inches, ; 160 pounds, that was quite an ac complishment, especially for a guy who didn t play mucn mgn school baseball. , When the Atlanta Braves selected him in the June 1979 Free Agent Draft, Butler’s dream final ly become a reality, as he had predicted way back in first grade. Butler see page 9 ‘When I got cancer, I stopped thinking about fame, success and money, all of which were important in the eyes of the world.’ Brett Butler Former centerfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers Campus Notes Professor to speak at Last Lecture Series Jim Stiver’s address for the Last Lecture Series, sponsored by Carolina Scholars and Carolina Productions, will be at 7 p jn. today of the Gressette Room in Harp er College. The name of the lecture is “Wisdom: It ain’t what it used to be (But there is still hope). Clemson/Carolina Blood Drive continues The Carolina/Clemson Blood Drive will continue from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. today and Thursday in the RH Ballroom. Car olina Productions and LoU’s Crew give ways will be held all day. USC Football to hold final practice Support the USC football team at their final practice at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at Williams-Brice Stadium. Great American Smoke-Out to be held Pamphlets and Quit Kits will be given out for the Great American Smoke-Out from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday. Ta bles will be set up today and Thursday on Greene Street and in the P.E. Center Lobby. For more information, call the Open Door-Drop In Center at 777-8248. Mainstage Productions to be held Auditions for “Heartbreak House,” “Voice of the Prairie” and “Arcadia” will be held at 7 p.m. Sunday, in The Gold en Spur. Those auditioning need to pre pare two contrasting monologues with total time not exceeding three minutes. Sides will be available to those without a monologue. Briefs for Campus Notes can be submit ed to RH 333. Please include a contact name and phone number. We can’t promise to print everything, but we can promise to try. your.world.tour/NewYork.London.Sydney If there ever was a time to clean out your ears, this is it. Because when you log on to firstlook.com to listen to music, you're entered in our sweepstakes. 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