Dr. Gail Griffin, author of the just-released book, "'The Events of October': Murder-Suicide on a Small Campus," will speak to the campus community at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 21.
By Megan Z. Shearin | October 18, 2010
Virginia Wesleyan students awoke this morning to hundreds of red flags scattered across campus.
The flags are part of the week-long Red Flag Campaign, a public awareness effort aimed at stopping relationship violence on college campuses across Virginia. The goal of the campaign is to encourage us all to speak up when we see red flags (or warning signs for potential abusive or unhealthy behaviors) in our friends' relationships.
“I want students to feel comfortable speaking up and to know where to go if they need help,” said Acting Director of Student Activities Jenn Mitchell. “This campaign is of great importance because it actually does open students eyes to the "red flags" in relationships that are not healthy and it gives friends a chance to have that courage to speak up and "say something" to a close friend which they may of never done before.”
Throughout this week, posters from the Red Flag Campaign have been placed around campus buildings, as well as an informational table in the Jane P. Batten Student Center focusing on relationships, relationship crisis and relationship abuse. Student-athletes will also wearing Red Flag stickers during competitions.
To heighten awareness, Dr. Gail Griffin, professor of English at Kalamazoo College and author of the just-released book, "'The Events of October': Murder-Suicide on a Small Campus," will speak to the campus community at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 21. Her book addresses crime, gender studies and the culture of colleges and universities, as well as the larger issues of intimate partners violence, gun accessibility and depression and suicide.
The Campaign is a project of the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance, and was created by college students, college personnel and community victim advocates.