Pledge to end Domestic Violence

Michelle Mattich, Co-Editor

Putting on a blue latex glove and lathering it with white paint isn’t the most exciting thing (unless you’re a toddler) but today, it’s for a good cause. “These hands don’t hurt,” is the special event happening for students to pledge to only be in healthy relationships.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness month and Seward County Community College is partnering with LARC (Liberal area rape crisis and domestic violence center) to offer information and activities to SCCC students. This is the first event in an attempt to bring awareness to domestic violence.

“Being with someone who doesn’t respect you and brings you down isn’t someone for you,” Maria Munoz, Campus LARC (Liberal area rape crisis and domestic violence center) said.

The first step to being in a healthy relationship is to take a pledge to do so.

“October is all about bringing awareness to this issue because it affects everyone, it doesn’t matter whether your a female or male.” Munoz explained.

Several students stopped by to take the pledge. The purple banner is filled with white handprints with student initials who pledged to be in healthy relationships.

“It brings awareness to people what a good and bad relationship is.” Munoz stated.

“It’s important to not be in an abusive relationship, and I hope with this pledge, it will show victims and people who are currently in an abusive relationship that there is people out there to support them and get them to speak out and get the help they need.” Munoz explained.

The next Domestic Violence Awareness event is a movie night on Wednesday, Oct. 17 in room AA140, beginning at 6 p.m. The movie is called Escalation and is a short film made by the One Love Foundation. It’s about a couple on a college campus and the stages of an abusive relationship. Based off a true story of a student who went through this, and was murdered. It tells her story in order for others not to fall in the trap of an abusive relationship.

Munoz is the campus advocate and is able to speak to students confidentially. if you have any questions or concerns, please visit her office in the Student Success Center.