As Valentine’s Day approaches, the Student Community and Engagement (SCE) office prepares for a LOVE themed month that focuses on the empowerment and education of sexual and domestic abuse and its victims.
During a month that many consider to be the month of love and relationships, the SCE has planned a series of activities that promote education about sexual and domestic abuse. The activities are planned to help students be open and aware of the issues surrounding abuse.
The events are designed to help diminish students’ insecurities regarding what many consider to be taboo topics of conversation.
In the first week, interns of the office will be reaching out to students to understand what their definition of love is, what role it plays in their lives, and how it affects them. Students will be able to give personal testimonials that will be shared online in order to kick start the thinking and discussion of love and what it may look like.
In the second week, there will be a discussion titled, “Let’s Talk: Healthy Relationships”. This event will focus on Title IX, dating advice, and healthy vs. unhealthy relationships. This discussion will be led by Jennie Smith, dean of students; a representative from Choices, a nonprofit focused on eliminating domestic violence; and a student journalist from The Ohio State University who focuses on sexual violence.
This particular event is structured to help educate students on Title IX and begin a less heavy conversation on sexual violence might be.
Caleb Ray and DeVante Draine, interns who helped plan this series of activities, described the events as being lighter in order to help people talk about the issues of abuse and create more meaningful conversation about an issue that is facing campuses all over the country.
Also during the second week, students will be able to create Valentine’s cards that will be sent to either the Vanburen Center or Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
One of the activities will be the clothesline project where people will design and hang up shirts that will help empower and educate people about domestic abuse.
There will also be another online campaign for incoming first-year students called Tell Your Story. The SCE office will be reaching out to select students to better tell their stories regarding relationships and love.
The events will finish with a community service trip to the Van Buren Center.
