October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and students in many different organizations across Grounds are working to combat such an extensive problem. This past week, the Maxine Platzer Women’s Center sponsored both the Red Flag Campaign and the Clothesline Project on the South Lawn.
All across the country, annual Red Flag Campaign displayed red marking flags. Here at the University, students wrote messages on the flags, ranging from words of support for survivors of domestic violence to characteristics of a healthy relationship.
Carrie Bohmer, a fourth-year College student and a gender-violence and social-change intern for the Women’s Center, acknowledged how hard it might be to identify unhealthy habits within a relationship.
“A lot of times in relationships, it’s hard to recognize those things because you don’t want to think of yourself in an abusive relationship,” Bohmer said. “Most abuse is not actually physical. It’s emotional or mental abuse.”
Bohmer said she hopes the Red Flag Campaign can be instrumental in distinguishing the warning signs, especially on college campuses.
“I feel like it’s really important in college relationships because you might not physically being abused, but this is definitely when emotional abuse can be going on … and things can escalate even further down the road,” Bohmer said.
The Clothesline Project hung just above the red flags on the Lawn. The campaign — a project held nationally — displays T-shirts decorated by survivors and in memory of victims of domestic violence. Each T-shirt has a picture or words representing victims’ stories or offering support for others.
The primary goal of the Clothesline Project is to raise awareness for sexual assault and domestic violence.
“The hope is to mobilize people to want to end [domestic violence] or be supportive to survivors in any way,” Bohmer said. “When you get to see every person’s story on those T-shirts, I think it makes it more real, especially if you don’t know any particular survivors. [It’s] powerful for people, who don’t have the personal impact.”
In addition to awareness campaigns, Alpha Delta Pi sorority will take a more active role in promoting the issue by hosting self-defense classes, October 17-19, as well as October 21. Alpha Delta Pi partnered with the University Police Department to teach students how to properly defend themselves.
Morgan Gronbeck, fourth-year Commerce student and president of Alpha Delta Pi, expresses her hopes of a diverse participation.
“It’s not just for women — we want to see really anyone come,” Gronbeck said. “It’s skills for everyone to feel confident and empowered in themselves and their ability to stand up for themselves.”
This is the second year Alpha Delta Pi has hosted the event. Due to the high attendance and interest in the event, the organization has added another day increasing the opportunity of participation for most students. Tickets cost $5, and all proceeds will be donated to the Maxine Platzer Lynn Women’s Center.
For the rest of the month, the Women’s Center will be hosting more events focused on spreading awareness for domestic violence. In particular, upcoming events include a discussion concerning minority and LGBTQ partner violence and a workshop to identify the stages in which a relationship violence escalates, hosted by One Love organization founded by alumna Yeardley Love’s family. A calendar of events can be found on the Women’s Center’s website.
“[We want] to raise awareness that these things are happening, and they are happening on grounds,” Bohmer said. “The hope is to mobilize people to want to end [domestic violence] or be supportive to survivors in any way.”
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