Respect on Campus promotes domestic violence awareness

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and Respect on Campus and TESSA are spreading the word through events at UCCS.

     Domestic violence is one of the most frequently committed crimes in the United States. According to Break The Cycle, a domestic violence awareness nonprofit, one in three college students experience abuse in relationships.

     Domestic Violence Awareness Month has been emphasized in October since 1981, and Respect on Campus (ROC) is seeking to raise awareness on campus.

     ROC has been a part of the UCCS community since 2010, when Dr. Katie Kaukinen received a $500,000 grant through the Office of Violence Against Women to conduct a three-year violence prevention program.

     It is not strictly a department within the university but stems from the grant program that is directly affiliated with UCCS.

     Earlier this month, ROC put on the Silent Witness event on campus and at the Downtown Pioneer’s Museum, displaying the silhouettes of actual victims of domestic violence with plaques that tell their stories. The displays are still present around campus, most visibly in the Kramer Family Library.

     Kaukinen will be presenting a lecture Oct. 22 in Dwire 204 at noon about trends and data concerning domestic violence, particularly regarding economic variables and the nature of intimate partner violence.

     ROC’s expression contest, letting students submit artistic work dealing with domestic violence, encourages contestants to write about prevention, awareness and healing among other topics related to domestic violence, the deadline being Oct. 22. The winner of the competition will receive a new iPad.

     On Wednesday, Oct. 24 at 2 p.m., ROC will be hosting a Rape Aggression Defense class demonstration in University Center 303. Later in the evening from 4:30-8 p.m. in University Center 302, ROC will show the comedy film “Madea’s Family Reunion.”

    After the film, Todd Waters, a communication instructor; Allison Monterrosa, a graduate student and certified victim’s advocate; and Amanda McDermith, a Department of Homeland Security liaison and advisor, are holding a discussion panel.

     Lastly, on Oct. 31, speaker Laurie Buchanan will present her lecture, “Battered Women in the Court System,” at 11 a.m. in University Center 303.

    Carrie Horner, an education specialist for Respect on Campus, explained, “We hope to raise awareness that domestic violence is a problem, and we hope to reduce the stigma and the taboo associated with this problem.”

     “I would really like to see an office or a center [created] that is openly a victim services center that can be a safe place for students to go to because we’re not going to be around forever,” Horner said.

     Several more general on-campus and local resources are available for students seeking support, such as the Counseling Center in Main Hall 324 or MOSAIC on the first floor of University Center.

     Anyone in a violent relationship may seek immediate help by contacting Public Safety at 255-3111 or the Counseling Center at 255-3265.