Dr. Melvena Wilson, Coordinator, Health Promotion & Outreach Student Health
Services informing the student body on domestic violence.
Photo Courtesy of Yayri Hazell
As October draws to an end, so does Domestic Violence Awareness month.
Student Health Services partnered with The Alpha Eta Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Big Sister Little Sister Mentoring Program (BSLSMP) and Maverick Hill to bring awareness to sexual and intimate partner violence in the School of Journalism & Graphic Communication Lecture Hall on Wednesday.
The seminar focused on the different types of domestic violence such as child abuse and incest. Additionally, ways to recognize and report domestic violence were presented to the students.
Dr. Melvena Wilson, coordinator of Health Promotion & Outreach in Student Health Services, began the seminar by providing the statistics on domestic violence for men and women.
“One in four women and one in seven men in their lifetime will be a victim of domestic violence," he said. "One third of all female homicides as deaths are related to intimate partner violence; It tends to increase around the holiday and it increases when the woman becomes pregnant."
The seminar also educated students on the several ways to help victims of abusive relationships.
“We also want students who are not victims to know that there is bystander intervention where they can help make the campus safer,” Wilson said. “They can advocate for their friends or report if they know of domestic situations going on so we can help make a safer campus.
The student body learning information regarding domestic violence.
Courtesy of Yayri Hazell
Victor Chrispin, a fourth-year political science student and a member of The Alpha Eta Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity explained why he wanted to join the student health services in educating the student body.
“It was important to host this event to bring awareness to domestic violence. Everyday a domestic violence incident occurs," Chrispin said. "I believe that some people are not aware that there are different types of abuse besides physical, mental and verbal abuse. So this seminar allowed for us to educate the student body."
While representing Maverick Hill and BSLSMP, Reneisha Lee, a third-year animal science/ pre-veterinary student appreciated the event because it informed students on domestic violence, which seems to be a taboo to speak about for college students.
“I believe it was a great event to have because domestic violence affects a lot of college students in our community. It is something that we don’t talk about or shine a light on,” Lee said.
To learn more about domestic violence, visit www.etr.org/store. Students can also visit The Student Health Services office to gain more knowledge on domestic violence.