- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

��Vlog��ýLR recognizes Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Ajani Oyindamola — Fri, 01 Apr 2016 17:32:42 +0000

In order to educate students and staff about sexual assault, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock is holding a Title IX training workshop on how to improve support for sexual assault survivors on campus.

Kamilah Willingham

The event, organized by the, will begin at 8 a.m. Wednesday, April 6, in the Engineering and Information Technology Building Auditorium. The workshop will feature a keynote speech, “A Survivor’s Perspective: Preventing and Responding to Sexual Assault on Campus,” by Kamilah Willingham, an activist for survivors of sexual assault who appeared in the 2014 documentary “ In January 2011, Willingham, then a third-year Harvard Law student, reported that a fellow student sexually assaulted her and a friend. She will discuss her experiences filing separate reports with Harvard and the Cambridge Police and the investigations that followed. A screening of “The Hunting Ground” will be held in advance of the workshop at 2:30 p.m. Monday, April 4, in the Student Services Center Auditorium. Dr. Erin Finzer, chair of the International and Second Language Studies Department, and Dr. Laura Bario-Vilar, an assistant professor of English, will speak about ��Vlog��ýLR’s Green Dot Initiative. “The national epidemic of college sexual assault has gained media and legal attention under Title IX, the 1972 legislation guaranteeing equal access, regardless of sex, to all educational activities and programs that receive federal funding,” Finzer said. “With Green Dot, ��Vlog��ýLR was ahead of most U.S. universities in providing evidence-based prevention programming mandated under Title IX. We are pleased that Green Dot continues to be a touchstone of student life on our campus.” In the final session, Teresa Williamson, the ethics and compliance officer at Northwest Arkansas Community College, will talk about how sexual assault complaints are handled on her campus. Monie Johnson, executive director of the Arkansas Coalition Against Sexual Assault, said the workshop’s programming will focus on educating individuals about campus resources that are available to survivors of sexual assault. “In the past, resources were not readily available, but now more and more campuses are seeing the need to address this issue in a way that is beneficial for all students,” Johnson said. “Sexual Assault Awareness Month allows us to bring the issue to the forefront of discussions, collectively, across the state as well as in our local communities and campuses. These discussions play a vital role in the movement to end sexual violence in our society.” In recognition of April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month, ��Vlog��ýLR will host numerous events, including a self-defense class on April 11, a sexual assault resource and health fair on April 12, and a dodgeball tournament fundraiser for the Arkansas Coalition Against Sexual Assault on April 13. To register for the workshop, visit the. Visit Green Dot’s website for a complete list of Sexual Assault Awareness Month events. The Arkansas Coalition Against Sexual Assault is a statewide coalition of individuals and organizations working together toward the elimination of sexual violence and advocating for sexual assault victims’ rights and services. ACASA provides cohesion, vision, and resources to members, while working to change public attitudes and beliefs regarding sexual violence issues.

Green Dot program to host discussions on sexual assault and domestic violence

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 09 Feb 2016 21:54:49 +0000

In an effort to foster open conversation about sexual assault and domestic violence on campus, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Green Dot Program will host two discussions at 6 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 11 in the Donaghey Student Center (DSC). The “For Women Only” discussion in DSC Leadership Lounge will be led by Sgt. Jennifer Lusk of the ��Vlog��ýLR Police Department, LaTonda Davis-Williams, employee relations manager and Title IX coordinator, and Dr. Erin Finzer, chair of the Department of International and Second Language Studies and member of the Title IX and Green Dot committees. Lusk will discuss the following campus safety advice:

No always means no
No matter what the circumstances, it is never the victim’s fault
Report incidents to the police as soon as possible
If you see or hear anything you think is suspicious, contact the police immediately, even if it’s an anonymous tip
Stay in groups of two or more and never leave a member of the group behind
Tell a friend, roommate, or family member where you are going and what time you will return

“I do all I can to help people understand that we are a family, and that it is up to us to watch out for each other,” Lusk said. Meanwhile, the “For Men Only” discussion in DSC-G will be led by Det. Roy Williams of the Little Rock Police Department and Richard Harper, assistant dean of students. The For Women Only and For Men Only programs were created to reduce the tension students may feel when discussing difficult topics. “O�ܰ� Green Dot student staff pointed out that sexual assault, domestic violence, and similar topics are hard for students to discuss when both men and women are in the room, so they created these programs.” said Mia Phillips, communications and special projects coordinator for the Chancellor’s Office. “The facilitators are also of the same gender as the participants,” she said. “We hope that people will feel more comfortable having genuine conversations about these issues with people who identify the same way as them. The only way to fix problems like sexual assault is to address them directly.” The discussions are hosted by the ��Vlog��ýLR Green Dot Program, which uses a comprehensive strategy that capitalizes on the power of peer and cultural influences. It seeks to engage community members through awareness, education, and skills initiatives that reduce the tolerance of violence and increase effective reactions during high-risk situations. The discussions are funded by a $22,000 grant Verizon made to the ��Vlog��ýLR Green Dot Program in January to prevent campus violence.

Verizon donation supports ��Vlog��ýLR program to end campus violence

Shanna Fitzgerald — Tue, 19 Jan 2016 16:54:32 +0000

A $22,000 donation from Verizon will help the University of Arkansas at Little Rock further prevent campus violence. The funds support the university’s Green Dot program, which began in 2012. The Green Dot program was established at the University of Kentucky and has since been replicated at more than 100 campuses throughout the country, although ��Vlog��ýLR was the first to implement the initiative in Arkansas. The Green Dot program uses a comprehensive strategy that capitalizes on the power of peer and cultural influences. It seeks to engage community members through awareness, education, and skills initiatives that reduce the tolerance of violence and increase effective reactions during high-risk situations. The program focuses on persuading people to take action to end violence, specifically sexual assault, bullying, domestic violence, child/elder abuse, and stalking. Training session participants learn safe methods to intervene in ways that might save a life or prevent injury. The funds from Verizon will be used to cover these costs:

A graduate assistant to assist with programming
Materials and supplies
Marketing/advertising/publications
Software
Training/professional development

For more information about ��Vlog��ýLR’s Green Dot program, visit /greendot/what-is-green-dot. Photo: Pictured from left: Schawnee Hightower, associate director of strategic sales at Verizon, University of Arkansas at Little Rock Chancellor Joel E. Anderson (center) and Patrick Lee, Verizon associate sales director

Green Dot aims to create a culture of saying ‘no’ to violence

Taylor Aldana — Wed, 30 Sep 2015 16:56:33 +0000

Throughout September, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock hosted numerous training sessions and activities designed to highlight and emphasize safety. One of the featured safety initiatives — celebrated with the obstacle-style Green Dot Amazing Race on Sept. 25 — began with an effort to change the culture on campus in the fall of 2012. The ��Vlog��ýLR Green Dot website explains, “a green dot is any behavior‚ choice‚ word‚ or attitude that promotes safety for all of us and communicates zero tolerance for violence.” ��Vlog��ýLR was the first university in Arkansas to launch a Green Dot program. The initiative is built on the idea that a cultural shift is necessary to measurably reduce power-based violence.

Dr. Laura Barrio-Vilar

To create this cultural shift, a large number of people need to engage in new behaviors that make violence less sustainable in the ��Vlog��ýLR community. Green Dot teaches these intervention behaviors. Dr. Laura Barrio-Vilar, English professor and chair of the Green Dot steering committee, brought the program from her alma mater, the University of Kentucky, where it started. Green Dot was launched with the idea of using education and skills training to direct the power of peer influence to prevent violent crimes and to prepare bystanders to intervene should they occur. “Since I had a chance to witness how effective it was while I was a graduate student at the University of Kentucky, and as soon as the incident with Patricia Guardado happened, I wanted this right away,” Barrio-Vilar said. “I’m really happy that so many people gathered together to make it a reality.” Barrio-Vilar was a relatively new member of the ��Vlog��ýLR community when student Patricia Guardado was kidnapped near campus and killed in 2011. In initiating the program, concerned faculty raised funds to have a group of 50 faculty, staff, and community members trained to teach students how they can make the campus a safer place.

Getting involved

Anybody can become a part of Green Dot by attending one of the program’s free sessions. “We have our own student advisory committee who are incredibly important in terms of helping with advertising, helping develop programming, and making things more than just educational but also entertaining,” Barrio-Vilar said. Green Dot organizers would love to have more graduate students involved in the student advisory council, Barrio-Vilar said. For new program participants, free Green Dot sessions are held at least once a semester, using video, role-playing and other exercises to help students counteract power-based personal violence. The organization also hosts one-hour sessions for faculty and staff. The next bystander student training will be announced soon on the ��Vlog��ýLR Green Dot website. Students receive a certificate of participation that may be used in a resume. Students also earn numerous service-learning hours that can count toward certain programs on campus. In addition to the skills that students develop, participants also receive Green Dot T-shirts, pens, memo cubes, flashlights, and wristbands. “O�ܰ� main goal, I think, is to have everyone go through the training,” Barrio-Vilar said. “The more people we can reach out to, the better. It’s all about raising awareness as to how much power we have just as bystanders, to put an end to power-based personal violence.” In the long run, Barrio-Vilar would like to expand Green Dot outside the community, to get off-campus residents and organizations involved, so they can start their own Green Dot programs. “The idea is to expand this culture of saying, ‘no’ to violence as far as we can,” Barrio-Vilar said.

A long-time safety focus

Before Green Dot took hold, the See Something, Say Something campaign was used on campus. “��Vlog��ýLR has always done some form of campus safety,” said Darrell McGee, associate dean of students. “It’s always been something we’re concerned about. What Green Dot did, it captured the campus community.” ��Vlog��ýLR also implements Title IX training which is mandatory for all employees and offered to students. “I’m happy to say over 40 percent of students are participating in the training,” said Richard Harper II, the assistant dean of students. “We have education and awareness programs throughout the year. We definitely don’t turn our backs on sexual assault or power-based violence around here. We’ve always been concerned about safety.”

Workshop seeks to prevent violence

Gloria King — Tue, 17 Mar 2015 22:44:28 +0000

The “I’ve Got Your Back: A Green Dot/Safe Zone Workshop” will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 18, in the Donaghey Student Center Leadership Lounge. The workshop will provide a productive and safe discussion on how to prevent power-based personal violence against Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender, and Questioning individuals. No registration is required for this unique and educational event supported by the Green Dot and Safe Zone initiatives at ��Vlog��ýLR. Refreshments, materials, and prizes will be provided. Green Dot’s goal is to create a safe campus environment through the power of community. Safe Zone’s mission is to improve the overall campus climate and to educate students and staff about issues related to LGBTQ individuals. For more information, visit this link or call Green Dot at 501.673.7160.

- University News Archive - ����Vlog��ý Little Rock