By Carolina Garces Zapico, HWS communications intern
PULLMAN, Wash. Washington State University students are providing campus-wide education in late October for National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Students affiliated with Green Dot, a program focused on helping people recognize and intervene in violent situations, are providing hour-long introduction sessions and longer, in-depth trainings.
Session dates are:
Oct. 18, one hour intro session at 5 p.m., CUE 209
Oct. 20 and 27, full-length training, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Washington Building G40; register online at http://greendot.wsu.edu
Oct. 18, one hour intro session at 5 p.m., CUE 209
Oct. 20 and 27, full-length training, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Washington Building G40; register online at http://greendot.wsu.edu
“The shorter sessions are great for people who want to understand more about how power-based personal violence affects college students and the important roles every community member can play in their daily lives to end violence on our campus,” said Stephanie Roeter, Green Dot graduate coordinator. “Our motto is that nobody has to do everything, but everyone has to do something or the violence will continue.”
“The longer sessions are for people who are ready to learn about the simple things anyone can do to support the development of a campus culture that really just doesn’t tolerate this kind of violence,” she said. “We talk about recognizing violence, brainstorm ideas for overcoming barriers to taking action, and really focus on helping people find ways within their comfort zone to help end violence.”
Domestic violence on a college campus is commonly thought of as dating violence. This can be someone yelling at a partner or making negative comments. It can also include physical violence, stalking and rape.
Data collected by WSU Health and Wellness Services indicated that about 9 percent of WSU students have experienced an emotionally abusive relationship in the last year and about 2 percent have experienced a physical and/or sexually abusive relationship.
“This training is real-world and immediately applicable for anyone,” Roeter said. “The stories we tell are personal and can translate across many types of violence and discriminatory behavior.
“If you’ve ever been a victim, care about someone who has or just plain care about ending power-based violence, you won’t regret participating in a Green Dot session.
“We often hear from participants about how much this information has affected their lives for the better,” she said.