VCU Joins Pilot Program to Prevent Dating Violence

By Tom Gresham

Virginia Commonwealth University will help launch the pilot of Virginia's first statewide public awareness effort to stop dating violence on college campuses.

The project, which is called "the Red Flag Campaign," helps students identify signs of dating violence in their friends' relationships and encourages them to intervene. The campaign is a result of the combined work of students, faculty and victim advocates from nearly 20 colleges and universities across Virginia. VCU was selected to be one of 10 schools to participate in the pilot because of the integral role it played in developing the program.

College students are at extremely high risk of being either the perpetrator or victim of both physical and sexual dating violence.

The Red Flag Campaign features a series of six posters that illustrate some of the red flags that might be evident in a relationship in which dating violence occurs. The posters urge students who recognize the signals in friends' relationships to speak up.

"Friends are in a unique position to influence the abusive partner as well as the victim of dating violence," said Tammy McKeown, coordinator of sexual assault and domestic violence services at VCU. "Peers are able to provide support as well as reinforce the cultural message that violence in relationships is unacceptable."

Among the services provided at VCU are:

• A coordinator of sexual assault and domestic violence services, who provides advocacy services to victims of sexual assault, relationship violence and stalking.

• University Counseling, which provides confidential counseling.

• The Resource Center, which is available to students, faculty and staff at VCU and provides information and referrals in the areas of sexual violence, relationship violence and stalking.

The Red Flag Campaign is a project of the Virginia Sexual & Domestic Violence Action Alliance and receives funding from the Verizon Foundation. The Red Flag Campaign will launch officially in August 2007 to 20 additional campuses in Virginia. For more information on what constitutes dating violence, how to help or how to get help for a friend, visit www.TheRedFlagCampaign.org.

In addition to VCU, other colleges participating in the pilot program include Christopher Newport University, George Mason University, Old Dominion University, Randolph-Macon College, Randolph-Macon Woman's College, Thomas Nelson Community College, University of Mary Washington, University of Virginia and Virginia State University.