On average, 24 people per minute are victims of rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner in the U.S.
That amounts to more than 12 million men and women threatened or harmed by a partner in the course of a year, according to the Center for Disease Control.
It’s statistics such as these that have energized staff at the College of Coastal Georgia to step up for the sake of the safety for their students and the community as a whole.
“Partner violence has made plenty of headlines lately. We’ve all heard about it in the news,” said Jason Umfress, vice president for student affairs. “It is our goal to empower our students and all of our community to be aware of this issue and know the impacts. We want them to have the tools needed to deal with this very prominent issue.”
To do that, Umfress and the college’s Office of Students Affairs and Office of Diversity and Inclusion will host an information and lecture session on the very topic.
Valerie Williams, Georgia commissioner on family violence, who is likewise a domestic violence survivor, will give the “Stop Intimate Partner Violence” presentation.
“We’re very honored to have Ms. Williams come to us and present this important lecture,” Umfress said. “Partner violence is a real-world problem, and it doesn’t know gender, race or economic lines.”
The lecture is intended to showcase the symptoms of domestic violence, as well as coping mechanisms and steps to take if found in an intimate violence situation. The event is also meant to help not just victims but also offenders by offering anger management tools and other lifestyle techniques to avoid being found on either end of violent behavior.
“We’re hoping this event will demonstrate what it means to have healthy relations, and how to create one,” he said.
There have been no reports of violence between students or partners, and Umfress hopes to keep it that way.
“We are proud that we have created a very friendly environment on our campus. Our students are offered a safe, intimate campus where they know they are protected,” Umfress said. “We’re hoping events such as this lecture help our students and the surrounding community maintain that level of security and warmth.”
The lecture will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Stembler Theatre inside the college’s campus center. Admission is free and the event is open to the community.
The Brunswick News
ANNA HALL