On Thursday Sept. 1, the Creighton Violence Intervention and Prevention Center held an open house to introduce students and staff to the services they provide.
Various staffers were in the Brandeis office, welcoming interested students. They discussed programs the VIP Center holds annually, such as Take Back the Night and Denim Day. These programs seek to bring awareness to the issues of power-based violence on Creighton’s campus.
Riley Hawkins, College of Arts and Sciences senior and assistant in the VIP Center, described why events such as the open house are so important.
“It’s not necessarily about training, it’s about making sure people know what services we offer and making this space feel comfortable and open to anyone,” said Hawkins.
The event offered trivia and candy to enjoy on the VIP Center’s comfortable couches as staff discussed services with new students.
Hawkins also spoke about the unique position that Lauren Ward holds in the office.
Ward is the full-time confidential advocate for Creighton faculty, staff, and students who experience power-based violence. Ward is not a mandatory reporter of any situation that is brought to her attention, giving her the freedom to listen to and advise students, faculty and staff about the reporting process through the Office of Equity and Inclusion.
Creighton is the only university in Nebraska that staffs a full-time confidential advocate, a position whose services become more critical each year.
In the 2015-2016 school year, Ward saw 146 first- and second-hand survivors, about 50 more than the previous year. This spike in number shows the rise in reported issues that the VIP Center works hard to make possible.
“Fifty more people had the options, had the services and had the pathways through our collegiate system here to report, to take action,” said Hawkins.
Another program the VIP Center offers is Green Dot training, a national training program designed to empower bystanders to step in if they encounter a situation that has the potential to turn violent, or already has.
Green Dot training helps students, faculty and staff effect change on Creighton’s campus through safe methods.