On Tuesday, the Women and Gender Resource Center joined organizations such as the Student Health Center, Turning Point and the Safe Sisters program to host a fall campfire. The event offered s’mores, counseling and rehabilitation services to attendees.
This event is one of several the WGRC has hosted throughout October, nationally recognized as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Brantley Johnson, a junior and WGRC volunteer, said that the WGRC is one of the University’s most valuable resources for those dealing with interpersonal violence.
“Bystander intervention and advocacy training is just one of many resources the WGRC provides,” Johnson said. “The WGRC also leads multiple support groups and manages a hotline for both UA students and Tuscaloosa residents to use.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 41% of women and 26% of men reported experiencing violence by an intimate partner during their lifetime in a survey.
“Despite my love for this school, college campuses can be unsafe at times,” Chloe Eastis, a freshman majoring in psychology and Safe Sisters member, said. “Interpersonal violence is truly a spectrum. We want there to be a variety of resources for these students so they feel comfortable reaching out for help.”
Jessica Ross Romine, the peer education coordinator for the WGRC, said that a majority of college students believe they could not have suffered from domestic violence because they are not married or in a long-term relationship.
“We are trying to break the myth that college students cannot experience domestic abuse,” Romine said. “If someone is dealing with interpersonal violence, we want them to know that there are plenty of services available for them to receive help.”
The WGRC and other organizations are hosting several more events this month:
- Sammy SAFE Box tabling: Learn more about Sigma Alpha Mu’s philanthropy, which benefits the Tuscaloosa SAFE Center, from Oct. 20-25, noon-2 p.m. outside of Fresh Food Company.
- Purple Pop-In: Learn more about Domestic Violence Awareness Month with WGRC ambassadors on Oct. 23 from noon-2 p.m. outside the Student Center.
- Harbor training: Open to all faculty, staff and graduate students looking to provide safe spaces for victims of intimate partner violence. The training will take place Oct. 27, 3-5 p.m. in Human Resources Classroom A of the Employee Resource Center.
- Bystander intervention training: Offered to undergraduate students wanting to learn how to interfere in potential interpersonal violence situations. The training will take place Oct. 30, 5:45-7:30 p.m. in Lloyd Hall, Room 233.
