Story by ALICIA FEYERHERM Photos by RORY MOORE
Tiger Media Network
As part of the First 40 Days at the Fort program, The Center for Empowering Victims of Gender-based Violence partnered with other community resources to host the fourth annual Love and Healthy Relationship Expo.
More than 50% of college sexual assaults occur in either August, September, October, or November. This period between the beginning of the fall semester and Thanksgiving break is referred to as The Red Zone.
“It’s the most prevalent time for sexual assault and domestic violence to happen, so the timing of this event is perfect,” Operations Manager for Jana’s Campaign Whitney Gerstner said.
The event featured seven different organizations.
FHSU Health and Wellness Services handed out packets with a questionnaire to determine readiness for a healthy relationship as well as relationship growth activities to strengthen existing relationships.
Compliance and Equal Employment Opportunity Officer Laurie Larrick provided information on Title IX and the resources available through her office.
“If something happened to you, reporting it doesn’t mean you’re going to get in trouble,” Larrick said. “It’s not disciplinary. If you are a victim, there are people out there that want to help you and make sure that there’s services out there in the community on-campus to get you back on track.”
High Plains Mental Health offers a variety of services including 24 hour crisis response services.
“I think we still have some stigma about mental and seeking help,” High Plains Mental Health Education Specialist Karla Mcfee said. “ It’s ok to not be ok, and reaching out for help is good.”
Student Researcher at the Center for Gender Based Violence Annalise Loucks led participants through different scenarios and identified healthy and unhealthy relationship behaviors.
“Things like dependency, jealousy, control, selfishness can all be unhealthy characteristics,” Loucks said. “Poor communication can be a sign of an unhealthy relationship and that’s something which I think we see a lot more of in a college setting.”
Campus Police Lieutenant Kelly Bradshaw emphasized the importance of reaching out for help before the situation escalates.
“There’s a lot of change when you come to college,” Bradshaw said. “You’re living away from your support systems and there’s a lot of stress so some of those early warning signs for relationships can go unnoticed.”
Bradshaw also walked participants how to use the new Kansas Protection Order Online Portal at https://www.kspop.org/
Jana’s Campaign, a Hays-based nonprofit organization, works closely with Fort Hays to provide education to students.
“We do a lot of programming on healthy relationships with higher education,” Jana’s Campaign’s Education and Prevention Specialist Larissa Whitney said. “We talk to different classes or work with other organizations to provide information.”
For those looking for help in a certain situation, Options Domestic and Sexual Violence Services, can provide that support.
“Our services are free, voluntary and confidential,” Options Campus Advocate Anniston Weber said. “We’re confidential in the sense that if somebody comes to me and expresses something, I do not tell anyone outside the organization and even sometimes anybody within the organization. We hold that very sacred.”
Weber has office hours on campus the first and third Thursdays of every month and is also available by appointment.
“We can help students who have to report something to campus police,” Weber said. “I can go in and sit with them while they do that or if they need to go through the Title IX process. I can help them through Hays PD, the court systems, literally anything.”
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