October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, so Oswego State’s One Love Foundation is hosting events to raise awareness for domestic violence and sexual assault.
The One Love Foundation will host escalation workshops throughout October and the rest of the semester. The workshops are generally 40-minutes long and focus on making the campus safer for everyone. Workshops will go all semester, and the annual Yards for Yeardly is on May 9 of the spring semester.
The mission statement of the One Love Foundation is “Team One Love at Oswego is committed to activating our entire campus in a movement to end relationship violence.”
Lisa Evaneski, the college’s Title IX coordinator since 2013, is the head of Oswego State’s One Love Foundation. Title IX is an act that prevents gender discrimination and handles sexual assault and domestic violence cases. Evaneski said the goal of the One Love Foundation is to aid in the prevention of dating and domestic violence.
“Students come here for education… they should not have to spend time worried about their safety and the possibility of sexual or domestic violence,” said Sammi Flavell, a sophomore. “It is so important to provide students with a safe and comfortable environment to help nurture success, not fear.”
Evaneski said the One Love Foundation is also on campus to make sure the community can recognize the warning signs of abusive relationships.
“Not all dating violence is physical,” Evaneski said. “It can be emotional, verbal, exhibiting jealous behavior and controlling their partner.”
The workshops, such as the Title IX Information Sessions on Oct. 17, will teach about gender equality, domestic violence and sexual assault.
Over 1,250 people on campus have participated in workshops since the One Love Foundation was formed on campus in 2015. Those who attend are mostly students.
“Domestic violence and sexual assault can happen anywhere and people should be able to recognize the signs,” Evaneski said. “One in three women and one in four men will experience relationship violence in their life.”
Jessica Bullock, an Oswego State student, said she will be participating in future workshops on campus.
“I know that my friends are getting into relationships,” Bullock said. “I want to be able to help them if they ever get into trouble like that.”
The One Love Foundation will also host workshops such as Take Back the Night on Oct. 14 and SUNY’s Got Your Back on Oct. 24. Oct. 20 will be Shine the Light on Domestic Violence and Wear Purple Day. The One Love Foundation also has tables in the campus center Oct. 14 and Oct. 26.
