Author: Emily Phillips
October is an important month for many reasons. It is distinguished by the emergence of fall foliage, trick-or-treating, and football games, but it is also important because October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Domestic Violence Awareness Month evolved from a program through the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence and was first observed in Oct. 1987. Domestic violence is a prevalent issue on college campuses around the country. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, approximately 32 percent of college students are victims of domestic violence.
The Dating Violence Resource Center, a program of the National Center for Victims of Crime, defines domestic violence as a pattern of “controlling, abusive, and aggressive behavior that can include verbal, emotional, physical, or sexual abuse, or a combination of these” in a dating or domestic relationship.Further, verbal and emotional abuse is defined by Break the Cycle, a national organization working to empower and educate youth on issues of domestic violence, as “anything that the abuser says or does to the victim that causes the victim to be afraid, lowers the victim’s self esteem, or manipulates or controls the victim’s feelings or behavior.”
The high incidence of domestic violence in college-aged relationships is largely attributed to the fact that most young adults experience their first serious relationship during this time.
According to Campus Safety reports, Oxy had 14 reported cases of rape and/or sexual assault and 23 cases of aggravated assault between 2004 and 2007. However, these numbers may be misleading because of cases that go unreported.
“Students often have difficulty recognizing verbal and emotional abuse, or do not have enough experience in relationships to know that the abusive behavior is not normal or healthy,” reports Break the Cycle.
Current Volunteer Coordinator for Break the Cycle and Oxy alum Cristina Escobar ’06 believes that this may be even more true on a small campus like Occidental. “At Oxy, we all think we know everything that is going on, but dating violence slips under the radar,” she said.
Occidental’s Associate Director of Intercultural Affairs Naddia Palacios agrees. “[Domestic violence] is one of those issues that nobody wants to talk about, like sexual assault, because there’s only 1800 students at Oxy and you all know each other,” Palacios said.
Project Sexual Assault-Free Environment (Project SAFE) and the Center for Gender Equity (CGE) are on-campus resources for students looking for more information about domestic violence and sexual assault. On Oct. 19, they will provide the first of a series of self-defense classes that will continue throughout the year.
This first class will be in conjunction with annual Love Your Body Day, where students can openly discuss their bodies and celebrate their individuality. While it does not directly target domestic violence victims, Love Your Body Day is “really about empowering women,” Project SAFE Program Assistant, Britt Karp (senior) said.
Emmons Health Center’s Associate Director of Counseling Services, Michael Calkins, Psy.D., voices the importance of establishing this sense of power and control in victims of abuse.
“Many abusive relationships exhibit highly entrenched patterns of power and control,” Clakins said. “Survivors of dating violence often experience a sense of helplessness, worthlessness, lack of control and same.”
According to the Project SAFE website, the best thing you can do if you are a friend of an abuse victim is to listen and be supportive. “Believe your friend . . . your friend needs your trust.”
Emmons provides counseling services for those in abusive relationships, both abusers and victims.
“It is equally important for those who have engaged in violent or threatening behaviors to seek our support and assistance,” Calkins said.
This year-for the first time in Project SAFE history – the program has a male advocate, David M. Martinez (senior), who will lead workshops and sessions specifically for men. There is a “recent movement on college campuses to incorporate a male section in dealing with sexual assault,” Palacios said. “He [Martinez] can reach out to other male students . . . and they might be more willing to open up to him.”
The CGE will have an Open House in their new location in Stewart-Cleland Hall’s lower lounge on Oct. 23. They encourage students to approach them with any interests for programs and events.
“Our programs will come from the advisory board and the students,” Palacios said. Even if only one student expresses concern and interest in an issue, the CGE will do their best to create a program or presentation.
In addition to using campus resources to cope with abuse, Escobar encourages students to take action against dating violence on college campuses.
“We are in charge of our culture,” Escobar said. “Make dating violence unacceptable at Oxy . . . Break the Cycle is building a national movement against domestic and dating violence. Oxy students can be at the forefront of that movement, or they can ignore the problem.”
If you or someone you know experiences Domestic Abuse or Sexual Assault, call 9-1-1 or contact Campus Safety at extension 2599 or 323-259-2511.
This article has been archived, for more requests please contact us via the support system.
