ODU Joins Statewide Campaign to Prevent Dating Violence on College Campuses
October 15, 2012
During the month of October, in conjunction with Relationship Violence Awareness Month, Old Dominion will participate in a public awareness effort aimed at stopping dating violence on college campuses. The project, called the Red Flag Campaign, helps students identify "red flags" for dating violence in their friends' relationships and encourages them to intervene.
The campaign is a result of the combined work of students, faculty and victim advocates from nearly 20 colleges and universities.
College students are at extremely high risk of either acting as perpetrator or being a victim of dating physical or sexual violence during their college years:
32 percent of college students report dating violence by a previous partner, and 21 percent report violence by a current partner.
12 percent of completed rapes, 35 percent of attempted rapes and 22 percent of threatened rapes occur on a date.
51 percent of college males admit perpetrating one or more sexual assault incidents during college.
The Red Flag Campaign features a series of posters that illustrate "red flags" that might be present in a relationship in which dating violence is occurring. The purpose of the campaign is to encourage students to speak up when they see red flags for dating violence in their friends' relationships.
Joann Bautti from the ODU Women's Center states that "friends have an influential role in intervening in dating violence, not only with the victim but also with the abusive partner." She explains that peer groups have the ability to provide safety and support and can also dictate what behaviors are unacceptable. She says the key is "helping college students harness their power to change the cultural tolerance of violence in relationships."
For more information on what constitutes dating violence, how to help or how to get help for a friend, visit www.TheRedFlagCampaign.org.
Relationship Violence Awareness Month Events:
10/16/12
12:30-1:30 p.m.
Listen to Your Heart: Engaging in Healthy Relationships
Chesapeake Room, Webb Center
Presented by the Department of Counseling and Human Services
10/16/12
8 p.m.
A Lot Like You
BAL 1012
When Eliaichi Kimaro, a mixed-race, first-generation American with a Tanzanian father and Korean mother, decides to document her father's path back to his family and Chagga culture, she faces a jarring disconnect between immigrant generations on questions of misogyny, patriarchy and violence. Her project examines the intricate fabric of multiracial identity and grapples with the complex ties that children have to the cultures of their parents.
10/17/12
7:30-9:30 p.m.
Women's Self Defense Workshop
Norfolk Karate Academy, 814 W. 45th St., Norfolk
Students will learn easy self-defense techniques that can be used to help escape a potentially dangerous situation. RSVP by Oct. 16 to womenctr@odu.edu in order to participate.
10/18/12
12:30-1:30 p.m.
Pour Your Heart Out: Effective Communication Strategies for Healthy Relationships
Chesapeake Room, Webb Center
Presented by the Department of Counseling and Human Services
10/23/12
12:30-1:30 p.m.
A Change of Heart: Techniques to Resolve Relationship Conflict
Virginia Beach Room, Webb Center
Presented by the Department of Counseling and Human Services
10/24/12
7 p.m.
Finding Kind
North Cafeteria, Webb Center
Lauren can still vividly recall the horrific experiences she went through with girls. She grew up well aware of the fact that females can be outright cruel to each other and the fact that society has done nothing to bring attention to the severity of this issue. If anything, society has glamorized, mocked and accepted the "mean girl" phenomenon. Watch as Lauren and her best friend Molly uncover what is really going on in the "Girl World" in their trip across the country, while finding kindness along the way.
10/25/12
12:30-1:30 p.m.
A Heart-to-Heart: Talking With Friends About Relationship Trouble
James River Room, Webb Center
Presented by the Department of Counseling and Human Services
10/30/12
12:30-1:30 p.m.
Lessons You Know by Heart: Staying Safe at College
Portsmouth Room, Webb Center
Presented by the Department of Counseling and Human Services