Stories & Images

The Issue of Domestic Violence and Dating Violence Awareness at SPU

This month of October is domestic violence awareness month. Caley Rojas is a security officer at SPU she makes sure safety on campus also includes checking for unusual behavior between two or more people. She says, “it’s hard to spot that behavior right away sometimes because it’s not always that obvious.” But she makes sure, when she does her rounds, that she opens her ears or looks more intently to catch things that might go wrong and stop it before it happens.

Caley Rojas, Security Officer photographed by Deborah Mahuji

Cheryl Michaels organizes all sorts of events and sends emails to student and staff to encourage this awareness of domestic and dating violence. For example the LOVE SHOULDN’T HURT campaign was to encourage people to recognize harmful relationship red flags in their own relationships and in the relationships of others and to speak up about them.

Cheryl Michaels, Associate Director of Safety and Security photographed by Deborah Mahuji

The campaign included things such as; Wear Purple on Thursday October 21st, the survivor love letter which was writing supportive messages and designing artwork for those who have experienced intimate partner violence and, the Office of Safety and Security gathered the messages to showcase in a virtual display. (Domestic & Dating Violence Awareness Month 2021)

As she says, domestic violence and dating violence, also known as intimate partner violence, are addressed on campus as part of a national campaign. Domestic and relationship violence is something SPU aims to help students and employees understand, prevent, and recover from. Intimate partner violence is a widespread, life-threatening crime that affects millions of people in the United States, regardless of their age, economic situation, color, religion, or education. Physical violence, sexual assault, stalking, and psychological hostility by an intimate partner are all examples of “intimate relationship violence.”

You can also learn more about the University’s response to reports of discrimination, bias and sexual misconduct at the Office of Inclusive Excellence website on Nondiscrimination and Title IX.

O.S.S. (2021). Domestic & Dating Violence Awareness Month. Intimate Partner Violence | Seattle Pacific University. Retrieved October 29, 2021, from https://spu.edu/administration/office-of-safety-security/fire-safety-crime-prevention/dating-domestic-violence.