Looks like the NFL may not have totally screwed up.
UCF’s Victim Services held its seventh annual Light Up the Night on Monday at 6 p.m. The case of former Ravens running back Ray Rice’s suspension from the NFL for a domestic violence incident was praised for bringing more attention to the issue of domestic violence.
“I’m actually grateful to the NFL for raising awareness through their incompetence and unprofessional handling of this issue. So, thank you Roger Goodell and Ray Rice,” UCF Deputy Chief Carl Metzger said.
The number of dating violence cases on campus reported in 2013 was 20, according to the annual security and fire safety guide courtesy of UCF spokeswoman, Courtney Gilmartin. Two incidents of domestic violence and six incidents of dating violence were reported to UCFPD in September.
Abuse is not just physical. Many times the verbal abuse individuals live through makes them self-destruct and fall into depression. Rebecca Aust, UCF grad and domestic violence survivor, still feels the repercussions today.
“I lost three years of my life, compared to most people applying to grad school, I’m a little behind,” Aust said.
For Emily Whitlock, a survivor of domestic violence, living in an abusive relationship cost her close to her life.
“My grades suffered dearly, and I failed every class of that semester,” Whitlock said of her being placed on academic probation. “Love shouldn’t hurt, and neither should you. You are all survivors.”
Today Whitlock is a successful student working toward a bachelor’s degree in psychology and using her artistic talent to affect social change through a line of anklets and jewelry she has created.
From the students who are survivors of domestic violence to UCFPD’s deputy chiefs, to Seminole County’s Sgt. Shannon Seiple, they all agree on one thing. Domestic violence is a growing issue on college campuses and one that can be prevented starting with the students. Seiple said that usually it is easier for an individual to confide in their friends than to an officer, but that requires students to make it their business and take further action to help a friend out.
“It’s [domestic violence] an epidemic that doesn’t discriminate against race, gender, economic status or education status,” Seiple said. “If you see something, if you hear something, if you even suspect something, please say something.”
Times have changed regarding domestic violence. Director of Outreach Services at Help Now of Osceola, Inc., Evelyn Herrera Jackson, runs a 52-bed shelter that victims of domestic violence who are in imminent danger may use to get back on their feet. Jackson voiced her concerns that technology may not always be an advantage. It can create an added barrier to a topic that many victims already struggle to voice and delay getting help.
“Cellphones are a good resource, but can also be a hindrance. We don’t communicate as often as we used to before face to face,” Jackson said.
This issue is no longer hiding in the back burner; it is back in the forefront, as it should be since every nine seconds a woman is victimized as a result of relationship violence. Seiple brought this home when she asked attendees to look around the room, and said that one in four women will experience domestic violence in their lifetime. At a school of over 60,000 students, the odds are not in their favor. At this rate 7,500 women will experience domestic violence. Metzger emphasized the importance of speaking up if one sees something suspicious.
UCFPD’s Deputy Chief Brett Meade gave hope to students who have been affected by domestic violence.
“As a member of the UCF family, you have a competent police department that will investigate these cases and you have one of the best victim services in the country,” Meade said.
For the remainder of the month, as it is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, students will have the opportunity to decorate a T-shirt and hang it up in the Student Union as part of the Clothesline Project which will serve as a testimony to victims of domestic violence.
