To remind students of Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month, Augusta University and community organizations gathered on Summerville Campus on Wednesday. Feb. 14.
As couples and friends exchanged flowers, chocolates and other gifts of affection, AU organizations and affiliates honored Valentine’s Day by talking with students in the Jaguar Student Activities Center about relationships and reporting sexual or domestic violence.
“Today is an event with community and campus resources to provide information on healthy relationships,” said Augusta University’s Title IX Coordinator Julie Kneuker. “We want to focus on the positive, and specifically what do healthy relationships look like?”
By engaging students in conversation, Kneuker said she hopes students learn to rely on a good support system when questioning the boundaries of a relationship.
“Communication is key in any relationship,” she said. “You have to maintain trust, have open dialogue and mutual respect.”
Most importantly, Kneuker said teens and college students need to remember the significance in maintaining one’s autonomy.
“Especially in the college age range, maybe it’s the first time they’re away from home or they’re experimenting, it’s easy to forget those boundaries,” she said. “So, it’s important not to lose yourself in a relationship, and a healthy relationship does not mean it needs to take all of your time.”
In addition to the university’s Title IX Department, other participating organizations included: Augusta University’s Police, Student Wellness Program, the Campus Assessment Response and Evaluation Team (CARE Team), Jags Live Well and Alpha Chi Omega Sorority, as well as SafeHomes of Augusta’s Domestic Violence Center and the Sexual Response Center.
MORE: Last defendant in Wheat Fields meth and heroin conspiracy sentenced
Selling carnations to raise money for SafeHomes, freshman from the Alpha Chi Omega Sorority said they believed the event allowed for students to have open conversations about domestic violence and free resources that anyone can utilize.
“I feel like a lot of people don’t think it’s important to report it or say anything, so just knowing that people are here to support us in any way they can is really good for others to know,” said Helen Hunt, a freshman member of the Alpha Chi Omega Sorority.
Fellow freshman sorority member Gabrielle Hart said she believed the event could give some student survivors of domestic violence an outlet to feel seen and heard.
From AU’s police force, Lt. Jimmy Laird said he wanted to get to know students and make them aware of their ability to help in a tough situation.
“It’s just to let them know that we are here for them 24 hours a day,” he said. “We’re here if they need to report a crime … and I believe these types of events help in the positive reinforcement to see us in a more positive manner.”
As a child who grew up around domestic violence, Laird said he hopes to teach non-traditional and traditional students that everyone, including children, can suffer from a threatening home situation.
“I watched my mother go through domestic violence when I was a child, and back then we did not have the resources that are available today – not only for the victims but also for the children,” he said.
Attending junior student and kinesiology major Trey Grindstaff said he believed talking with the various participating student groups and local organizations could give others a better outside perspective.
“I think it’s very easy to get caught up in wanting to be in a relationship to the point where you fall for something that’s not healthy, and then when you’re in it you can get trapped,” he said. “So I think promoting healthy relationships and showing those signs is actually a really good way to maybe wake someone up to a situation they’re in and give them a resource to get out of it.”
A senior cell and molecular biology major, Jenessa Ducelus, said college students can often feel alone and isolated in academic struggles which can pour over into affecting one’s relationships and overall mental health.
“I struggle already with my mental health as a STEM major, so knowing that I have options to go see people and that there are people looking out for me is very reassuring and a good safety net,” she said. “This is a great event honestly.”
For more information on the local domestic violence resources, visit: https://www.safehomesdv.org/.
Liz Wright is a staff writer covering education, lifestyle and general assignments for The Augusta Press. Reach her at liz@theaugustapress.com
