Earthquake in Haiti

The Office of Victim Assistance (OVA), The Center for Multicultural Affairs (CMA), Psychological Health and Psychiatry (PHP), and Faculty Staff
Assistance Program (FSAP) will be offering three professionally facilitated “Haitian Earthquake After Shock Discussions” this week.
These discussions will be a time for any students, staff and or faculty to create a community to talk about the earthquake, receive support, learn
skills to prevent and decrease any secondary impact and learn about resources.  For questions please reference OVA, 303-492-8855 and
http://cuvictimassistance.com.
-OVA will offer a session Wednesday January 20 at 12pm in Willard 231.
-FSAP will offer a session on Thursday January 21 at 10am on East Campus,
ARC 3100 Marine St. room 354.
-CMA and PHP will offer one on Friday January 22 at 9am in CMA, Willard 118.

As the true extent of the destruction and loss of life in Haiti is revealed, our hearts go out particularly to the people at CU who have friends or family members in Haiti.  For those trying to get news of their loved ones back home, the State Department has established a hotline, 1-800-407-4747.

The Division of Student Affairs and the Office of Victim Assistance are sending an E-Memo to CU community members informing those who may be impacted of campus resources.  These include the Office of Victim Assistance at 303-492-8855, Counseling and Psychological Services at 303-492-6766, and Psychological Health and Psychiatry in Wardenburg at 303-492-5654.

Transito “Tito” Torres

The Office of Victim Assistance extends its sympathy and thoughts to the family and friends of Transito “Tito” Torres, who died on December 3, 2009. Tito was a senior majoring in Women and Gender Studies, and had connections to many individuals and programs at CU and in the community. If you would like support in dealing with this tragic loss, feel free to call the Office of Victims Assistance at 303-492-8855 or Counseling and Psychological Services at 303-492-6766. Both numbers have counselor coverage 24 hours a day.

A memorial honoring his life will be held at theUniversity Memorial Center at 12:30pm, Thursday.  The event will begin with a processional, which will leave the GLBT Resource Center, Willard Hall 227, at noon. The group will then proceed to the Environmental Design Building, the Women and Gender Studies Cottage and end at the East Ballroom, where the memorial service will commence. Those who wish to join the procession should plan
to gather at any of these stopping points around noon. Please dress for the cold weather.

Basketball Phenom Shares His Views

Myths and Facts About Hazing from StopHazing.org

Myth #1: Hazing is a problem for fraternities and sororities primarily. Fact: Hazing is a societal problem. Hazing incidents have been frequently documented in the military, athletic teams, marching bands, religious cults, professional schools and other types of clubs and/or, organizations. Reports of hazing activities in high schools are on the rise. Myth #2: Hazing is no more than foolish pranks that sometimes go awry. Fact: Hazing is an act of power and control over others — it is victimization. Hazing is pre-meditated and NOT accidental. Hazing is abusive, degrading and often life-threatening. Myth #3: As long as there’s no malicious intent, a little hazing should be O.K. Fact: Even if there’s no malicious “intent” safety may still be a factor in traditional hazing activities that are considered to be “all in good fun.” For example, serious accidents have occurred during scavenger hunts and kidnapping trips. Besides, what purpose do such activities serve in promoting the growth and development of group team members? Myth #4: Hazing is an effective way to teach respect and develop discipline. Fact: First of all, respect must be EARNED–not taught. Victims of hazing rarely report  having respect for those who have hazed them. Just like other forms of victimization, hazing breeds mistrust, apathy and alienation. Myth #5: If someone agrees to participate in an activity, it can’t be considered hazing. Fact: In states that have laws against hazing consent of the victim can’t be used as a defense in a civil suit. This is because even if someone agrees to participate in a potentially hazardous action it may not be true consent when considering the peer pressure and desire to belong to the group. Myth #6: It’s difficult to determine whether or not a certain activity is hazing–it’s such a gray area sometimes. Fact: It’s not difficult to decide if an activity is hazing if you use common sense and ask yourself the following questions: Make the following inquiries of each activity to determine whether or not it is hazing. 1) Is alcohol involved? 2) Will active/current members of the group refuse to participate with the new members and do exactly what they’re being asked to do? 3) Does the activity risk emotional or physical abuse? 4) Is there risk of injury or a question of safety? 5) Do you have any reservation describing the activity to your parents, to a professor or University official? 6) Would you object to the activity being photographed for the school newspaper or filmed by the local TV news crew? If the answer to any of these questions is “yes,” the activity is probably hazing. Adapted from Death By Hazing Sigma Alpha Epsilon. 1988. Will Keim has a similar approach to making decisions about hazing: “1. If you have to ask if it’s hazing, it is. 2. If in doubt, call your advisor/coach/national office. If you won’t pick up the phone, you have your answer. Don’t B.S. yourself.’ 3. If you haze, you have low self-esteem. 4. If you allow hazing to occur, you are a ‘hazing enabler.’ 5. Failure to stop hazing will result in death…” Will Keim, Ph.D., “The Power of Caring”

Privacy and Terms Of Use © Copyright StopHazing.org 1998-2005. info@stophazing.org www.stophazing.org Website Design and Hosting by: RainStorm Consulting

Chatting It Up With Whitney Houston

OVA interviewed Whitney Houston from the CU Women’s Basketball team about her views on gender violence, how athletes can help with preventing it from happening and her thoughts on intimate partner violence cases that make it into the headlines.

“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”–Supreme Court Turns Down Challenge

WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court on Monday turned down a challenge to the Pentagon policy forbidding gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military, granting an Obama administration request to maintain the Clinton-era “don’t ask, don’t tell” directive. Click on link to read full article http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090608/ap_on_go_su_co/us_supreme_court_gays_military

Gender Justice Commission

Do you want to learn more about gender violence? Are you an activist? The Gender Justice Commission (formerly the Gender Violence Prevention Task Force) is looking for students, staff, and faculty to join in discussing the issue and educating the CU community. For an application, contact Davian Gagne email: davian.gagne@colorado.edu or 303.492.5951.

CU J-School Takes on Gender Violence Prevention

Recently, students from the School of Journalism came into our office to talk about the Gender Violence Prevention Task Force on campus. In the process, we got to talking about my position here at the university in the Office of Victim Assistance and how the role came to be in 2007-08. Thanks to Katie O’Block for her time and attention to our initiatives!

Addressing a Campus Epidemic: Preventing Gender Violence

 

Click Here Gender Violence Prevention List

This piece was originally published in the Colorado Higher Ed News, October 2008, by our own Davian Gagne, MSW; Gender Violence Prevention & Education Coordinator in the Office of Victim Assistance in Boulder.
 

I am often asked, “What exactly is gender violence?” Calling someone a slut or fag and any unwanted sexual activity are a few examples of behaviors that fall along the continuum of gender violence. According to the United Nations International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women, gender-based violence takes many forms – physical, sexual, psychological, violence based on gender expression, coercion, and threats – and they occur in both the public and private spheres.

Sexual assault still remains the most underreported crime in the United States. What are some of the barriers for reporting? Victims may feel a great sense of shame or guilt and myths such as, “look at what they were wearing” or “they were asking for it” still exist and place the blame on the victim, not the perpetrator. Sexual violence on college campuses is also considered an epidemic and public health concern. Some statistics about sexual violence on college campuses: approximately 15-20% of female college students have experienced forced intercourse (rape) (Fisher, Cullen, & Turner, 2000; Koss, Gidycz & Wisniewski, 1987); alcohol and other drugs were implicated in approximately 55-74% of sexual assaults on campuses (Lisak & Roth, 1990; Muehlenhard & Linton, 1987).

So what does this mean for the University of Colorado at Boulder and what are the challenges in preventing gender violence on campus? Currently, there are programs such as Community Health and Interactive Theater that provide education and opportunities for students to learn about bystander intervention. This model is considered to be a best practice in the field of prevention and teaches students skills on how to safely intervene if they witness situations that may be potentially harmful. An example of this would be a student sexually harassing another student. In addition to these programs, the University created the Gender Violence Prevention and Education Coordinator position which resides in the Office of Victim Assistance. The position was mandated as part of the Title IX lawsuit settlement between Lisa Simpson and the University. As the Gender Violence Prevention and Education Coordinator, I am charged with training and presenting on gender violence prevention to students, staff, and faculty.

Collaborative relationships are imperative for the success of the position at the university. I work in collaboration with a number of programs on campus – Community Health, The Women’s Resource Center, GLBT Resource Center, Student Outreach Retention Center for Equity, and Interactive Theater to name a few. Additionally, I co-coordinate the Sexual Assault/Sexual Harassment (SASH) committee; the committee is comprised of staff and students from various programs that are invested in the prevention of gender violence on campus. Recently the SASH committee was given a charge by Chancellor Bud Peterson to develop a comprehensive, systematic, integrated, holistic gender violence prevention plan for the University. In developing the plan, SASH has reviewed research related to best/promising practices for preventing gender violence. Some of the research stresses the importance of buy-in from all members of a campus community, ranging from the administration, faculty, athletic department, to the students. SASH has submitted the first component of the prevention plan to the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs, Dr. Julie Wong.

Gender violence exists on most campuses across the country – but rarely is the issue discussed, much less made a priority. However, with the creation of the Gender Violence Prevention and Education Coordinator position, existing prevention programs on campus, and the support of Chancellor Bud Peterson, the university has a unique opportunity to be a leader in the field of gender violence prevention and the potential to be a model for other universities.

Volunteering–Get involved, make a difference!

There are a number of volunteer opportunities on campus. It’s a great way to meet new people, get involved in the CU community, and give back.

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