YSU recognizes Domestic Violence Awareness month throughout October

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and departments and offices across the Youngstown State University campus are raising awareness with displays, panels, workshops and presentations.

The Remember Me Project, life-sized silhouettes of 27 victims of homicide related to domestic violence, will be on display as part of an awareness event in the first-floor atrium of Cushwa Hall Oct. 3 - 7.

The project is sponsored by the department of Criminal Justice and Consumer Sciences in the Bitonte College of Health and Human Services, the YSU Melnick Medical Museum and the YSU Office of Student Activities.

“The goal is to bring awareness to domestic violence and its serious, and potentially fatal, consequences,” said Monica Merrill said, assistant professor of Criminal Justice at YSU.

“One way we can try to limit domestic violence is by educating people about it and bring it to the forefront of conversation. These silhouettes, and the stories behind them, are designed to get students to talk about domestic violence and to understand how deep of a problem it is.”

Merrill said she and members from the Ohio Domestic Violence Network collected data about domestic violence-related deaths and found 131 fatalities across Ohio from July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021. There were 85 victims, including 15 children, the most since reporting began six years ago, and 46 offenders who either killed themselves or were killed by police or third party.

On Thursday, Oct. 6 the Office of Dean of Students will host Brown Bag: Unhealthy Relationships, Abuse and Interpersonal Violence. Individuals are encouraged to bring their lunch and learn about signs of abuse in relationships of any kind and how they can help someone who may be experiencing abuse. The Brown Bag Lunch will be held noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Rossi Room in Kilcawley Center.

The Office of the Dean of Students and the department of Criminal Justice and Consumer Sciences, in conjunction with Compass Family Counseling will present a panel discussion 2 – 4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 11. The Domestic Violence Panel: A Sit Down with the Experts will take place in the Rossi Room in Kilcawley Center.

Throughout the month of October, the Office of the Dean of Students will be hosting Recognizing Relationship Red Flag sessions to help educate the YSU community about red flags in relationships and how individuals can help themselves and others. These sessions will be held:

• Monday, Oct. 3 – 10 a.m. to noon Kilcawley Center Lower Arcade
• Wednesday, Oct. 12 – 10 a.m. to noon Kilcawley Center Second Floor Lobby
• Tuesday, Oct. 18 – 10 a.m. to noon Kilcawley Center Lower Arcade
• Thursday, Oct. 27 - 10 a.m. to noon Kilcawley Center Lower Arcade

An Active Bystander Workshop will be held 1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26 in the Jones Room, Kilcawley Center. The hour-long workshop, sponsored by Title IX and the Office of the Dean of Students, will provide participants with tips on how to get someone help when they are in danger.

For more information on the Remember Me Project, contact Monica Merrill at mmmerrill@ysu.edu. For more information on the other Domestic Violence Awareness Month events, contact the Office of the Dean of Students at dos@ysu.edu.